His Girl
by ForeverSmiles
Summary: Everyone just sees Reese Wilkerson as a bully and hates him for it, but Maria Gonzalez sees him as a bully and loves him for it. Crappy summary, good story. Reese/OC
1. Book Club

_**Book Club**_

I walked out the front doors of the school to stand next to Malcolm and Dewey.

"Hey," I said, smiling but Malcolm barely looked up. Dewey, on the other hand, snapped his head up to look at me and smiled.

"Hi, Maria!"

"Hey. Dew-hey, watch it!" I yelled to some kid who bumped my arm as he ran by. "Sorry 'bout that. Hey, Dewey, what's up?"

"Nothing, just gonna go home! I had a lot of homework today!" Dewey cried and grabbed my hand, rambling on and on.

I knew he was trying especially hard to be cute and adorable because last month Malcolm let it slip that he (Dewey) had a crush on me. Which made it extra cute.

"Aww, that sucks. Me too, so don't worry." Malcolm started walking and I followed him, Dewey clinging to my hand. We walked up to Reese, who was sitting by the tree in front of the Newton's yard, just like every day.

"Get off 'er, you little runt!"

"Aww, Reese, be nice to Dewey,"I said, prying the 7-year-old off me and letting Reese slip his hand into mine. We walked about 10 feet ahead of Malcolm and Dewey, so that they were out of earshot, before either of us said anything.

I glanced at his backpack that he was dragging on the ground behind us. "Do you have a lot of homework?"

Reese shrugged. "Some."

"Do you want to come over so I can help you?"

At first, it had felt a little weird that I, an 8th grader, had to help my freshman boyfriend with his homework, but I had gotten used to it by now.

"Sure. But I'll need another lie to tell my parents. Which one do you think I should go with: that I got mugged or that I had to help a cat that someone ran over in the middle of the road?" I rolled my eyes. Yeah, like anyone would beleive either of those.

"Why haven't you told your parents about us yet? I told _my_mom!" I pouted as Reese and I turned right to head to my house while Malcolm and Dewey took a left to theirs.

"Because...they would invite me over and embarrass me."

"It wouldn't be so bad."

"Yes, it would."

"You can't hide it from them forever!" I cried as I reached up with my free hand to punch in the code to our garage door.

"Yes, I can."

"Reese!" I whined as my garage door opened with a creak. "Please tell them. For me?"

He sighed. "Fine. But not tonight." I stared at him.

"Why not tonight?"

"Because my mom's going to this book club thing to get away from us so its the perfect opportunity to get back at that bitch, Tracy Hines for not inviting me to her party."

We walked through the garage and into the house, slipping off our shoes and I groaned. "Oh, God. What are you gonna do?"

Reese grinned and waggled his eyebrows at me. "Fireworks, baby."

"You're gonna blow your hand off. Then you'll only have one hand. I'll be dating the dumbass who blew his own hand off."

"I'll be careful, I promise."

"Fine," I said as we climbed the stiars and walked to my room. I shut the door, even though we were the only ones in the hous and spread out Reese's books and notebooks onto the bed.

"Okay, so do you want to start with math or history-" I started, but Reese cut me off by pressing his lips to mine and I fell back on my pillow.

"Reese...we have to get...this stuff done," I murmured in between kisses.

"Later," he said and I gently pushed him off of me.

"No! We're gonna spend the whole time making out and then you're gonna flunk all your homework just like last time!"

"I don't care."

"Well, I do! We can make out _after _we're done with your homework!"

"But-" he started, but I shoved him backwards, sending him sprawling on top of his history book.

"No buts. Here, we'll do math first." I hoisted his Algebra book into my lap and took a look at his assignment.

"Your mom's gonna be home at 4," Reese said, glancing at the clock: 3:15.

"Then we'd better get started." Reese grumbled to himself and peered over my shoulder at his homework.

"There. All done," I said, shoving his stuff into his backpack.

"It's 3:54," Reese said, hopefully.

"My mom will be home any minute. And I'll get in tons of trouble if she knew you were here while no one was home." He sighed and picked up his backpack in defeat.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yeah. And don't forget to tell your parents tomorrow!"

"I won't," he said and I gave him a quick kiss goodbye.

"Okay. Call me tonight after you're done with your fireworks thingy."

"Got it," he called over his shoulder as he climbed out the window while my mom's car pulled into the garage. He hopped to the ground and ran to the direction towards his house as the garage door opened and my mom came strolling in.

I logged into my IM account after glancing at the clock (11:37 P.M.) and saw that my best friend, Alex was online.

Maria2hott: hiiiyaa!  
>Alexxbabee: wassup<br>Maria2hott: whats up?  
>Alexxbabee: on fb, u<br>Maria2hott: waiting for reese to call me.  
>Alexxbabee: *groans*<br>Maria2hott: dont be like that.  
>Alexxbabee: i dont know whatu c in him, hesamoron<br>Maria2hott: he is not! and use punctuation, bitch, i cant fucking understand u!  
>Alexxbabee: fuck u<br>Alexxbabee: hes not good enuff 4 u  
>Maria2hott: u just think that cuz hes not a football player like mike.<br>Alexxbabee: thats not the only reason  
>Maria2hott: then wat *r* the othr reasons?<br>Alexxbabee: hes a fucking dumbass and hes not rite 4 u, u guys hae nothing in common  
>Maria2hott: how would u know? its my relationship and im the 1 whos in it.<br>Alexxbabee: hes a fucking j.d.  
>Maria2hott: hes a lot more than that 333<br>Alexxbabee: blaaahh  
>Maria2hott: u dont kno him like i do<br>Alexxbabee: watever  
>*Maria2hott is offline*<p>

**~love: a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person.~**


	2. Charity

_**Charity**_

"Why can't you just tell them?" I moaned into the phone and Reese sighed on the other end.

"Because my mom's making us do charity work and she'll think I'm just trying to get out of it."

"Well, aren't you?"

"Not entirely."

"Hey, wait a sec. Why is your mom making you do charity work? What did you do this time?"

"Nothing! Mom said we needed to build 'character'." I laughed.

"To build character? You'll find a way to screw this up somehow."

"Whatever. I'm coming over tomorrow, right?"

"Sure. Then you can tel me all about your charity work," I said, giggling and I could practically see him scowling.

"Fine. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

***

I sat down at a picnic table for lunch, the next day, waiting for the rest of my friends to join me. Alex sat down next to me and Danny across from me.

"Hey, guys," I said, picking up my cheeseburger. 

"What's up, Maria?" Danny asked, biting into his spaghetti and I shrugged.

"Nuthin-"

"Oh My God, you guys will *never* believe what happened today!" Alex gushed, cutting me off.

"What?" Danny and I asked, clearly uninterested.

"Amelia Damien bitch-slapped Taylor Rodriguez in 4th period!" Danny and I were interested now.

"No way! Amelia's like, 2 feet tall!" I cried.

"Why'd she slap her?" Danny asked.

"Apparentally Taylor kept talking about Amelia behind her back, and they were supposed to be  
>friends." Danny frowned.<p>

"Amelia slapped Taylor across the face because she fucking *gossipped* about her? That's so stupid!" I sook my head, slowly.

"No, Taylor totally had it coming. In girl world, if you even say another girl's name behind her back, you deserve to be slapped." Alex nodded in agreement and took a bite of her French fry. Danny, however, rolled his eyes.

"Girls are so complicated. That's why I don't have a girlfriend."

"Danny, there are a lot of reasons why you don't have a girlfriend," Alex shot back and I snickered.

"Whatever."

"So, Maria, are you gonna see Reese again today?" Alex asked and Danny stiffened. Danny was one of my best friends and I totally loved him, but it was awkward because he had a massive crush on me. Along with Dewey and Malcolm's friend, Stevie Kenarban, there were 3 guys who had a crush on me.  
>I know that sees like a lot, but every girl had guys lusting after her. Mine were just all at the same time.<p>

"Yeah. We're gonna hang out after school. Why?" Alex smirked and shrugged.

"Just wondering." Damn her. Something was up.

***

"So how's charity work going?" I asked as we lugged our backpacks up the stairs. Or rather, I lugged my backpack up the stairs. Reese got some Krelboynes to do his homework for him.

"Not so bad, actually. Me, Malcolm, and Dewey made up this trade system."

"Trade system?" I asked as we sat down on my bed.

"Yeah. You get to take something from the church as long as you contribute something of equal or greater value. Like these," Reese picked up a pair of gold earrings off my dresser. "If I gave these to charity then I could get you something really special."

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I asked, raising my eyebrows but Reese just smirked at me and slipped them into his back pocket.

"You'll have to wait and see."

"REESE!" I whined, but his smirk just grew wider as he leaned over to kiss me.

"Maria, I need you to babysit Graham toni-" my mom started as she burst into my room (she's home already?), and Reese and I pulled apart.

"Nothing, Mom! We're just doing homework, I swear!"

"I don't see any homework."

"We just finished," I lied, nervously. She didn't buy it.

"Reese, I think it would be best if you left," she said in a frosty tone and Reese scrambled towards the door. But before he left, he looked back at me.

"I'll call you tonight, okay?" I nodded.

"Okay." Then he disappeared and my mother glared at me.

"Maria Anne Gonzalez, I thought I taught you to be more responsible than that."

"Than *what*?" I cried.

"I know what you two were doing up here!"

"He kissed me, Mom. That's all. He's my boyfriend: he's allowed to kiss me!" Mom put her hands on her hips and glared at me.

"I don't like him, Maria. His whole family is bad news."

"You don't even know him!" I cried, angrily.

"I know abou all the trouble he's gotten into with the school, with the *police*!" I knew where this was going, and I had to calm her down.

"You're misjudging him. Everyone misjudges him You know what that's like, don't you?" She froze and then her face softened.

"I suppose so. You can continue dating him, but I *still* don't like him."

"I can live with that," I said, trying not to smirk.

***

Reese *did* call me later. Only it didn't go exactly how I had imagined. I answered it on the third ring, as I flipped through channels on the couch while I was waiting for dinner.

"Hello?"

"Maria!" someone yelped and I frowned. Was that...?

"Reese? Is that you? Why didn't I recognize your number on my phone?" I asked, puzzled.

"Cuz I'm calling from the bus station." I heard groans and a 'Reese! Why'd you tell her that?' come from the background.

"Why are you at the bus station?"

"Cuz I did something bad...and...well, you're not gonna see me for a while."

"What? Why?" I cried, but Reese kept rambling on.

"I'm sorry that I won't be able to give you the necklace I got you for a long time. Wait, maybe I could mail it to you. What's your address again? I keep forgetting."

"Reese, back up...you got me a necklace? What for?"

For a few seconds, I just heard the crackle of the phone line, but then I heard hi sigh and say,

"I dunno. I just wanted to, that's all."

"Well, now I'm too excited. You'll just have to come home."

"I can't-!" Reese started, but then I heard mumbling and he groaned. "I'll see you later."

"Yay!" I said, smiling and hung up the phone just as Mom called me and Ben in for dinner.

***

It was around 10:00 P.M. and I was drifting off to slep when I heard a 'clunk!' I sat up and rubbed my eyes, glancing at the window. At first, there was nothing but then a small rock came rocketing toward my window and bounced off with the same 'clunk!' noise.

"What the *hell*?" I whispered and slunk over to the window and pulled it open.

"Reese! What the hell are you doing here?" I hissed, looking down at him in a white muscle shirt and a pair of boxers.

"Can I come up?" he whispered, and I sighd.

"Hold on," I said and shut the window. I turned and tip-toed down the stairs and to the front door. I opened it as quietly as I could and gestured for Reese to hurry up.

"Thanks," he whispered and I shut the door; I grabbed Reese's hand and we slunk upstairs.

"What are you doing here" I hissed as we crept into my room and Reese collapsed on the bed.

"Mom caught us doing the charity thing and she gave all our stuff to the church. Blankets, pillows, everything," he explained.

"So that's why you came over? For a place to sleep?"

"Not entirely," Reese said and sat up, untying a necklace from around his neck (*What the hell? How had I not noticed that before?*) and offered it out ot me.

"Aww!" I whispered and took it from him. "It's *so* beautiful, Reese!" I put it on and jumped in next to him on the bed. "Thaaaaank youuuu!"

"You're welcome," he said, smirking to himself and putting his arm around my waist before we both fell asleep.

**~he knows i fell in love with his smile, and he'll flash it my way.. just to tease me.~**


	3. Christmas

_**Christmas**_

"MARIA! MARIA, I HAVE TO TALK TO YOU!" Reese yelped, pounding on my front door.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" I cried, rushing to the door. I flung it open and he burst into the house.

"Is anyone home?"

"Umm...no. Mom took Ben and Graham out for last-minute Christmas shopping. Figures they would wait until Christmas Eve to buy any presents."

"What did you get me? I need to open it! Now!" he yelled.

"Umm...okay. Why?"

"My mom cancelled Christmas! SHE CANCELLED CHRISTMAS! God, I'm not even supposed to be over here...if my mom finds out, we'll never get our presents!"

"Okay, okay, calm down!" I cried and ran up the stairs toward my room to get Reese's present. I pulled a new pair of sneakers out of my drawer and rushed back downstairs.

"Here. You were always complaining about how crappy your old ones were so...here."

"Thanks!" Reese shouted, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and then bolted. I frowned.

I should have known that Reese would figure that the necklace he got me counted as a Christmas present, but I still foud myself disappointed.

_Reese's family doesn't have a lot of money. I know that,_ I thought, sadly, but it didn't help much.

*Third Person: Reese's POV*

"It looks like we have another present for _Reese!_" his dad cried, running over to him with a skateboard covered in wrapping paper.

"I wonder what it is!" he cried, feigning surprise to please his father, and he and his brothers continued to tear open presents as their parents kissed under the mistletoe.

This really was their best Christmas ever. Reese though back to his new sneakers hidden under his bed and felt bad that he hadn't gotten Maria anything for Christmas.

_Maria,_ he thought, sadly and snuck a glance at his parents.

"I have to tell you guys something," he said, surprised to hear his own voice. Everyone turned to  
>look at him in shock.<p>

"What is it, Reese?" his mom asked, and Reese cleared his throat. "I have a girlfriend. And she's wanted me to tell you guys for a long time, but..." he trailed off.

No one spoke for a few seconds, but finally Reese's dad said,

"Well, we should invite her over soon, son. Get to know her. What's her name?"

"Maria," he murmured and suddenly wished he ahd never said anything. _Well, Maria will be thrilled,_ he thought, darkly.

*Maria's POV*

I _was_ thrilled. Although, not at first. Reese called me around midnight on Christmas Eve, prompting me being awake when my mom was sneaking our Christmas presents downstairs, and believe me, she was _pissed!_

"Reese, what are you doing calling me so late?" I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

"Hello? Is this Maria?" I froze. It was a man's voice. Shit!

"Umm...yeah. Who are you?"

"Hal Wilkerson-I'm Reese's father?"

"Oh! Oh, good. I was worried that you were some kind of rapist or something," I said, giggling.

"Oh, well, Reese just told us that you two have been going out...for a *while*, and I just thought that you might want to come over for dinner tomorow night. You know, get to know the family?" I heard Reese groan in the background and I tried not to laugh.

"Umm...yeah. That would be great."

"Great! We'll see you there."

"Okay," I said, smiling and I heard a muffled 'Let me talk to her!' and then Hal said,

"Right. Here's Reese." Then:

"Hey."

"Hi!" I cried, happily. "You finally told them!"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Aww, you're sooo sweet! Thank you, baby."

"You're welcome. What time should I pick you up?" I heard snickers coming from Malcolm and Dewey and a loud, 'Shut up!' from Reese.

"I don't care. What time do you guys usually eat?"

"I don't know. 6?"

"Okay, 5:30 then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Kaay. Bye."

"Bye," I said and then hung up.

My mom definitely wasn't too thrilled that I was gonna spend Christmas dinner with the Wilkersons, _especially_ because I caught her playing Santa _and _because she already hates Reese. Oh yeah, and cuz this was "family time".

"Mom! Ben isn't even _here!_ You have to go pick him up at _jail!_ And Graham won't even notice if I'm not here if you put on Telletubies for him!" Mom sighed.

"Fine. I see who's more important to you." I know that was supposed to make me feel bad, but it didn't. Instead. I said,

"Great!" and bounced upstairs to pick out my outfit.

Reese got here at almost exactly 5:30 (I'm almost positive it's because Hal and Lois made him be on time) and I called a quick goodbye to Mom and Graham before grabbing Reese's hand and heading out the door.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Reese moaned as we started walking the short distance between our houses.

"Oh come on, it'll be _fine!_ I won't hold anything they say against you! I _promise!_"

"Fine. Hey, come back here," he said, stopping suddenly and almost making me trip.

"What for?" I asked, side-stepping towards him.

"Because when we get to the house we won't get to do this a whole lot," Reese said and kissed me.

"Reese..." I murmured against his lips, but my arms ended up around his neck and his at my waist.

"Your family...we'll be late..." I tried, but Reese just moved his lips to my neck.

"Come on, I wanna make a good impression," I said, then glanced down at my neck. "Reese, don't give me another hickey. I couldn't cover the last one up, not even with make-up! My mom almost saw!"

"Yeah, yeah, right," he murmured and took my hand, continuing to lead me to his house.

When we got there, Hal, Lois, and Dewey bombarded me at the door (Malcolm didn't look up...as usual; I guess he's just used to me).

"Hi, Maria! We've so been looking forward to meeting you!" Lois cried, happily.

"Yeah, yeah, come sit down," Hal said, gesturing towards the dinner table. I glanced at all the food in shock.

"Did Reese make all that?" They looked back, too.

"What? Umm...no. I did," Lois said, looking surprised.

"Oh! Sorry, Reese, do they not know...?" I asked, looking over at him.

"No, we know..." Hal started, but Lois finished:

"We're just surprised you do."

"Oh! Yeah. Reese told me. Well, obviously."

"Reese, what else have you told her?" Hal asked, but was interrupted by Dewey.

"Maria! Come watch cartoons with me!" he cried, bouncing up and down.

"You know each other?" Lois asked, looking between me and Dewey.

"Uhh...yeah. I've known Malcolm and Dewey ever since we started dating.," I said, gesturing towards Reese.

"And how long-?" Hal started, but was cut off again, this time by Reese.

"Look, can we just eat?" he asked, irritated.

"Yeah, I'm starving!" Malcolm crid, bolting up from the couch. We all sat down at the dinne table (me in between Malcolm and Reese) and started to eat.

"So, Maria, do you go to Reese's school?" Lois asked.

"Umm...no. But I will, though, next year."

"You mean you're not in high school yet?" Hal asked, surprised.

"No, I'm in 8th grade, but Reese and I will be in the same school next year."

"So you're in Malcolm's grade?" Lois guessed and I nodded.

"Yupp."

"Well, see, I didn't know that you and Reese were a year apart! That's what this is all about, getting to know each other!" Lois cried, smiling.

"Yeah. But what about you guys? I mean, we've just been talking about me. What about you guys?"

"Well, what do you want to know?" Hal asked.

"I don't know. Anything."

"Well, we have an oldest son named Francis. He's spending Christmas with his grandmother this year. Did you know that?' Lois asked.

"Yeah. Reese told me _all_ about Francis. I can't wait to meet him."

"Oh, well...is there anything Reese _hasn't_ told you?" Lois asked, laughing, nervously.

"How long have you two been together?" Hal asked.

"Oh, I don't know," I said, frowning and started counting on my fingers. I saw Lois and Hal exchange glances. "Seven or eight months?"

"_Months_?" Lois cried.

"Yeah. Since...April last year?" I guessed, glancing at Reese and he nodded.

"Why are we just finding out about this now?" Hal cried, looking at Reese, but he just shrugged.

The rest of the night wwas pretty much like that: Hal and Lois both askin me lots of questions and Malcolm and Dewey making fun of Reese cuz of his girlfriend. Then Reese walked me home and we made out a little on the way, and that was pretty much my night. But it was fun.

"I had sooo much fun tonight, Reese! Thanks for finally introducing me to your family! I love them!" I gushed to him as we stood on my porch and Reese raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yeah! They're so much fun! We should hang out over there more often!"

"Okay, fine."

**~i want someone who won't care that i'm incapable of sitting still, that i can't grasp the concept of cleaning, and i refuse to be ladylike. someone who realizes that half of the decisions i make are usually the ones i regret, and i have the right to overreact at any given moment. i want someone who knows how completely insane i am & HE WOULDN'T WANT ME ANY OTHER WAY.~**


	4. Reese's Job

_**Reese's Job**_

I opened my drowsy eyes and rubbed them awake. I glanced back at Reese, his arms wrapped around my waist and his head resting on the pillow beside mine, snoring softly and his hair sticking out in crazy places.

By now, Lois had replaced all their pillows and blankets (the ones tha she gave to charity) but Reese still found his way into my bed every night.

"Reese...Reese, wake up," I whispered, shakin him gently.

"What?" he murmured, stirring slightly.

"Do you love me?" Reese smiled and murmured,

"Mm-hmm."

"Really?"

"Yeah," Reese said and opened one eye.

"Do _you_ love _me_?" I smiled and nodded. "Good.

I was walking home from school, swinging my backpack back and forth, one earphone from my iPod dangling from my ear.

"Hey, Maria!" someone cried and I saw it was Craig pulling out of his driveway.

"Hi, Craig," I said, smiling. "Where are you going?"

"To the Circus Burger. I heard Reese was working thre and just wanted to make sure."

"Oh yeah! Reese _is_ working there, he told me! You don't mind if I tag along, do you?" I asked, walking up to the passenger seat side.

"No way! Come on!" Craig cried, and I got in next to him.

"Thanks, Craig. I really wanted to go see Reese at his new job," I explained as Craig drove onto the road.

"Yeah, me too! So, uh, how _are_ you and Reese doing?" Craig asked, smiling at me and I blushed.

"Umm...good, I guess. Oh, hey, turn up here!" I said, pointig up ahead and Craig turned to the Circus Burger parking lot at the last minute. We got out of the car and walked inside.

"Hi, Reese!" I chirped, bouncing up to him at the counter.

"Oh, hey, Maria. What are you doing here?" Reese asked.

"I tagged along with Craig so I could come see you." I glanced up. "Nice paper hat."

"Shut up. Do you want anything?"

"Uhh...no. Just a Diet Coke."

"I'm guessing that's to go" Reese guessed, pressing a button on the cashier.

"Yeah. Unless I want to look like a loner. Well, that depends. When do you go on your break?"

"Not 'til 4:30." I glanced at the clock: 3:15.

"Okay. To go then. Craig, did you want to order?" I called over my shouder and he stepped forward, knocking me out of the way.

"Hey, Craig," Reese said. "What do you want?"

"I want you to listen very carefully. My blood sugar's dangerously low, so I don't want to burn up any calories repeating myself. I want the Jumbo Clown Burger with the Big Top Fries. No pickles, a slice of onion-make sure it's center cut!-and extra tomatoes. Now let's do the patty well on one side and medium on the other. And make sure they open a fresh package for my bun! If it's stale, I bail! Hehehe...seriously!" Craig cried and I stared.

"That's $5.45 and free refills on the soda," Reese said, handing him an empty cup.

"I've heard that one before. Turns out, it's just for _today!_" Craig cried and I frowned.

"Well, yeah. Obviously."

"Don't give me any of that, Missy! I'm your ride home!" Craig said and I rolled my eyes. "Now are you gonna sit down and drink that with me or stay up here with Reese?" Craig asked as Reese handed me my Diet Coke.

"I'll just stay up here, I guess," I said, hopping onto the counter and Reese put his hands on my hips.

"Just call me when you're ready to go, okay?"

"Okay," Craig said and went to sit down.

"What a sack!" a girl from behind the register cried and Reese and I both turned.

"That's a pocket transaction if I ever saw one," Richie said, coming up from behind me.

"Oh...yeah. Right," Reese said and took his hands off my hips to shove the money in his pocket. Richie patted him on the shoulder and then walked by and the other two went back to work. Reese pulled the money out of his pocket and stuck it back in the register. He saw me smiling at him.

"Shut up," he said and I smirked.

"I didn't say anything."

"But you were thinking it."

"Oh, so you can read minds now?"

"No, I just know you." I raised my eyebrows as he wrapped his arms around my waist and put his chin on my shoulder.

"You do?"

"Yepp."

"What's my favorite color?"

"Purple."

"What's my last name?"

"Gonzalez."

"Who-"

"-has really nice tits? You do."

"Reese, you're such a perv!" I cried, and then adjusted my shirt. "But I do, don't I?" Reese smirked and glanced at them.

"Oh yeah. Amazing."

"I know," I said, smiling and then leaned over to kiss him. I knew Richie wouldn't care unless there was a customer, which there obviously wasn't.

"Alright, Maria, it's time to go," Craig said, suddenly appearing in front of us just as our make-out session was heating up (ooh la la).

"Umm...okay," I said and removed Reese's hand from my waist and hopped down.

"You know, I could get used to you working here," I said, looking back at Reese with a smile and he smirked back at me before I left.

Just before I got in th car I made a heart with my fingers and mouthed, 'I love you'. He smiled at me and I scrambled into the passenger seat of Craig's car.

When I got home, my mom was in full-out worry mode.

"Where have you been? Who was that man? Are you okay? God, how irresponsible _are_ you?" she cried, her voice shrill.

"Circus Burger, Craig Feldspar, I'm fine, and apparentally very," I said, answering one question at a time and Mom glared at me.

"Not funny."

"Well, which question do you want me to answer first?" I cried.

"Where were you?" she asked, more calmly this time.

"At the Circus Burger."

"Why?"

"Reese just got a job there and I wanted to see him." Her jaw clenched at the mention of Reese's name.

"At Circus Burger?" There was judgement practically dripping off every word.

"Yeah. It's a job to pay for car insurance, Mom, not a career." Mom shook her head and muttered something about Reese being mobile but then turned her attention back to me.

"Who was that man?"

"Craig Feldspar. He works at the Lucky Aide with Reese's mom. Come on, Mom, can't I got out and not get pestered like this? I'm not a baby anymore!" I cried and turned to stomp out of the room.

"Why can't you date someone like Mike?" I stopped in my tracks to turn around to look at her.

"Mike Anderson? Alex's boyfriend?" I asked and Mom nodded.

"Jenna was telling me al abot Alex and her smart, polite, _normal_ boyfriend and then...I have to go out and tell her that _my_ daughter is dating someone who's..." she trailed off.

"Unsmart, unpolite, and unnormal?" I guessed, angrily. She continued on like I hadn't said anything.

"Why can't you date someone like Mike? Or his friend Kevin Stratt?"

"I don't *love* Kevin Stratt!" I snapped and ran upstairs.

It was the next day (night, actually) and I was in my room, reading a magazine when I heard a knock on my window. I looked over and saw Reese looking in.

"Shit!" I murmured in surprise, throwing my magazine under the bed and making my way over to the window.

"You could use the door, you know," I said, opening up the window and letting him inside.

"Maria! Maria, I need your help!" he cried and I shushed him.

"Be quiet! Now what's wrong?"

"Richie said I took $400 from the register, but I _didn't!_ And now I have to pay it all back! What do I do?"

"Well...I don't know!" I blurted out. "Did you ask Malcolm yet?"

Reese slid open the window to his bedroom and scrambled inside, pulling me after him.

"Malcolm! You gotta help me!" he cried.

"What's going on?" Malcolm asked.

"It's horrible! There's $400 missing from the register at the end of my shift and they think I took it!"

"Well, did you?"

"NO! Of course not!" Reese yelled.

"I'm Barton," a short-looking kid said.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"He's my tutor," Malcolm explained and Reese groaned.

"You're kidding me! The one time I need you to be a genius, I find out you're faking the whole smart thing?"

"Reese, calm down," I said, and then Malcolm asked,

"How did this happen?"

"I don't know! My register didn't total up right at the end of my shift!" Reese explained.

"Who was there?"

"Everyone Me, Shawn, Gretta, Richie..."

"Richie? Why didn't you say so in the first place?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's _Richie!_ He's setting you up!"

"How do you know?"

"Because it's _Richie!_" Malcolm cried and then turned to get his coat. "Come on."

Reese climbed back out the window with me in tow, and Malcolm and the little Barton kid behind us.

When we got to Richie's house he was watching TV on the couch.

"Hey, dude, did you get the money?" he asked.

"Yeah, you'd like another $400, wouldn't you?" Malcolm snapped.

"What are you talking about?"

"Wow. An entre colony of clafenenriasynica!" Barton cried, peering into a lava lamp and I rolled my eyes. Smart kids...

"Hey, get your own pizza, Dewey!" Richie cried.

"His name's not Dewey!" Malcolm yelled.

"So how come you've had me calling him Dewey all these years?"

"This guy's such a tool," I whispered to Reese and he nodded.

"Look we know you took the money and you're just trying to pin it on Reese!" Malcolm said.

"Yeah! And after everything my brother's done for you! All the alibi's, all the hand-outs, all te times he's helped you fake your death!" Reese cried.

"Okay, that's it. I _have_ to meet Francis," I said at the same time that Richie jumped up from the couch.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, dudes. I wasn't even there today!" he said. "The only time I came in was to cash out! You were right there."

"Yeah, but I had a 10 minute break at 4:30!" Reese pointed out. "You could've snuck in then and taken the money!"

"Well...yeah, but..."

"You wanna play innocent? Fine! We'll just let the police decide!" Malcolm cut him off and made his way to the phone.

"Whoa! Police! What makes you think the cops are gonna take your side?" Richie shouted.

"Maybe cuz you've already been arrested like, 10 times for petty theft!" Malcolm said.

"Excuse me, one of those was for arson."

"Oh, well that just makes everything more reassuring, now doesn't it?" I asked, smirking.

"Hey, who the hell is this chick?" Richie asked, pointing over at me.

"Not the point!" I said, gesturing to Malcolm as he punched in the '9' and the '1'.

"I'm telling you, you're making a big mistake!" Richie cried, frantically.

"No, I'm not!" Malcolm argued.

"Yes, you are!"

"No, I'm not!"

"Yes. You are," Barton said and we all turned to look at him. "He didn't do it. According to this sitiation, Richie was stopped today at 4:20 today at 18th and Wilson for urinating from a moving vehicle."

"So?" Reese cried and I turned to look at Richie in disgust.

"Urinating from a moving vehice? Really?"

"So, the Circus Burger is on Walnut which is at least 25 miles away. He couldn't have gotten there during Reese's break."

"Well, maybe if the traffic was light-" Malcolm started, but Barton cut him off.

"Yeah. And maybe if a 78 BonaBille (sp?) could to 300 miles an hour. Otherwise, it's impossible."

"Hey, way to go, Dewey!" Richie shouted.

"Let me see that!" Malcolm shouted and took the ticked from Barton.

"Is he right?" Reese asked.

"Yes. He's _always_ right! I'm sorry, Richie. Come on, Reese, let's go." I squeezed Reese's hand, sympathetically.

"I'm sorry, baby."

"But I swear to God I didn't do it! I didn't take the money!"

"Well, we still have a few hours, maybe we could figure out some way-" Richie started.

"Richie! I got us the DVD Player, but we need to steal another $600 if you want the Surround...Sound," a girl from Reese's work called, running down the stairs.

"You may wanna hang onto that receipt," Richie told her.

"I can't believe you lied! We're calling the cops!" Reese said.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey! Maybe we could figure out some sort of deal! Whatever you guys want, it's yours!"

"We get to use your place for a party anytime we want!" Reese said.

"Yeah! And we get free burgers for life!" Malcolm agreed.

"And we get...that bean bag chair!" I said, pointing at the purple one in the corner.

It was later that night (around 2 A.M.) and Reese and I were making out in the purple bean bag chair that was now in my room.

He had his hand on my hip and slid it up under my shirt, until he had a firm hold on my breast.

Reese and I had been together for 8 monts, which means that there were a t of things that I may have forgotten to mention. Like how we've had *tons* of fights or that while we haven't gone all the way yet (I'm in the 8th grade, for God's sake!) we _had_ covered all of the other bases.

**~you gotta be willing to just take the time and really kiss me 33~**


	5. Lois's Makeover

_**Lois's Makeover**_****

"He's going down!" Reese agreed. "You think he'll cry?"

"Oh yeah. He'll cry," Dewey said.

"Hey, guys, what are you doing?" I asked, walking up the driveway after seeing/hearing all that and they turned to look at me.

"Just practicing!" Dewey said.

"We're trying to beat our dad in basketball," Reese explained and I nodded.

"Ahh. Hey, can I come watch when you guys beat him? I wanna see him cry, too," I said, smirking.

"Sure. You could be our personal cheerleader," Malcolm said and I rolled my eyes.

"Yeah, whatever."

***

I was sitting in th grass, watching Hal play Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey in basketball.

"Ooh, you think I'm scared a' you? I changed your diapers!" Hal mocked as Malcolm dribbled the ball around. He passed it to Reese and Hal quickly followed. Reese threw it to Dewey, who took the shot.

"Dewey! You made a basket! Good for you!" Hal cried and Dewey threw the ball to Malcolm, who immediately started dribbling it again. He threw it to Dewey, past Hal, and Dewey shot it in again.

They cheered and Hal stared in amazement. "What are you looking at?" Dewey asked while Malcolm turned to me.

"Hey! I thought you said you wre gonna be our cheerleader!" he yelled.

"I lied!" I yelled back. "Now come on, I wanna see some real playing!"

Hal sure stepped up his game a notch-he fouled them on almost every plat. He tripped Reese, pushed Malcolm over, and sent Dewey flying across the court.

"HahaHA! Good game, boys!" Hal cried, laughing after he shot the winning basket.

"Good game?" Malcolm asked in disbelief.

"You fouled us on every play!" Reese cried.

"Boys, part of the game is learning how to lose gracefully. I mean, if I've taught you anything, it's how to be a good sportsman!" Hal explained and walked away from them. dribbing the ball.

I got up from my place in the grass to walk over to them. "I thought you guys said he was gonna cry."

"He's such a cheater! Don't tell me you missed all that!" Malcolm cried.

"No, I saw it. It was pretty sad, actually."

"Oh yeah? Let's see you play!" Dewey yelled.

"I meant sad for you guys. So how are you gonna beat him?"

"I don't know! How _can_ we beat him?" Reese cried.

"I don't know. Practice? You could think of a new game plan," I suggested.

I was sitting at a picnic table in the Wilkerson's backyard, watching them play (again).

"...so then we just keep moving the ball around the perimeter. He can't cover all 3 of us! No matter *how* dirty he plays!" Malcolm explained as the 3 boys passed the ball back and forth. Malcolm shot the ball just as Hal came outside.

"Wow! Very nice! Great ball movements!" He glanced over at me. "Hi, Maria."

"Hi."

Hal reached his hand out and Reese passed him the ball. "You guys are looking really good! I'm impressed! I'd be really worried if I didn't have my patented jump shot!" he cried and jumped up, throwing the ball into theirm but then fell back onto the ground.

"Ow! Oh, my ankle! Ohh...I twisted my ankle. Oh, help me into the house, boys," Hal said, holding his ankle. I stood up to stare down at him.

"Is he okay?" I asked, frowning.

"Boys!" Hal cried when his sons just stood there and stared.

"Sure, Dad. We'll help you," Malcolm said, cautiously and started forward. He and Reese helped Hal inside while Dewey and I followed.

It was later that day and I was still at the Wilkerson's (I've been spending a lot of my time there lately. Not that they mind, thought. Lois says she likes having  
>another girl in the house.). Hal was reading a magazine on the couch when we approached him.<p>

"Hey, boys. What's up?" he asked.

"Not much," Malcolm said.

"How's the leg?" Dewey asked.

"I think it's feeling a little better," Hal admitted, wiggling it around.

"It's just interesting how you just _happened_ to hurt your leg," Reese said.

"What does that mean?"

I don't know. It's just interesting."

"Yeah. Interesting," Dewey agreed.

"Alright, what are you boys getting at?"

"It's just that _some_ people* are willing to go to pretty drastic lets just to avoid being beaten by their kids!" Malcolm cried.

"_This_ is about basketball? You think I faked this because I didn't want to play you in basketball?" Hal cried.

"I don't know. They _were_ playing pretty good," I said and Hal glared at me.

"Don't you have a family or a home or someplace you need to be?" he snapped and then looked at the boys. "Alright, you know what? I'm gonna play you right now! Like this, and I'm _still_ gonna mop the floor with you!"

"That's okay. You rest," Reese said.

"We can wait," Malcolm agreed.

"Yeah. It's gotta heal _sometime_, right?" Dewey asked.

I was in my same patch of grass watching Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey play basketball after they found out he faked the broken ankle. Right now it was tied: 13 to 13.

They tried out their signarure move: Malcolm dribbled and then threw it to Reese, who managed to get the ball to Dewey even after Hal tried to shove him over, and Dewey made the shot.

"Yes!" Reese cried and Malcolm gave them another point (14 to 13) under the scoreboard they had: US vs. FAKER.

"That's 14-13. We're up! Game point!" Malcolm snapped, throwing the chalk on the ground.

"Well, I have to say, you boys have put up a good fight. Which is just gonna make it all the more painful when I crush you...like bugs!" Hal cried, giving Malcolm the ball.

Malcolm dribbled it and then threw it to Reese. They were gonna go for the same move again. Reese kept his back to Hal and was about to turn and give the ball to Dewey when Hal grabbed his shorts and yanked them down. Hal grabbed the ball and took his shot while Reese yelped and pulled his shorts back up.

"Score! Yeah! Whoo-hoo!" Hal shouted, running over to give FAKER another point. "Tie game! Next basket wins! My ball."

Hal went up to the line with the ball while Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey were whispering to each other. What were they gonna do?

"It's Go-Time, ladies!" Hal cried and they fist-pumped each other. Hal ran at them and Dewey climbed onto Malcolm's back just as Reese ducked down and put Malcolm on his shoulders. I gasped.

"Holy crap!" I yelled.

Hal jumped up to take the shot and Reese's fist plunged forward.

"JUNK-PUNCH! YEAH!" I screamed, jumping up. I was too excited now. The ball fell into Reese's hands who passed it up to Malcolm who passed it up to Dewey, who dropped it into the basket as Hal was writhing on the ground.

"The future is now, old man!" Dewey cried as he and Malcolm dropped to their feet.

"Oh My God! You guys, that was amazing!" I cried and ran over to them. Reese grabbed my hand and the 4 of us left the playground and headed home (their home, not mine).

"Oh man! That was awesome!" Malcolm cried as we walked the sidewalk towards their house. Then he turned to me: "You know, Maria, you're not so bad." I smirked at him.

"Gee, thanks."

"Yeah! I like it when you come over! It's more fun," Dewey agreed.

"Yeah, me too. Your guys's family is so much more fun than mine."

"Hey! I call dibs on the remote!" Malcolm yelled, and he and Dewey ran inside.

"Aww, man!" Reese moaned and I went over to get a basketball.

"Hey, I thought you couldn't play."

"I can't," I said, trying to make a shot but missing by a long shot. "Teach me?"

"Okay," he said and put his arms around me, guiding my arm as I shot the ball. "You just have to have the right angle of your arm. Like that."

"Oh yeah?" I asked, breaking free from his grip to go get the ball. I dribbled the ball, but Reese quickly took it from me and made the shot. I jumped on his back and we both fell to the ground.

"Hey!" he yelled and I giggled as he pinned me down to the ground.

"Reese, get off of me!" I cried, giggling and tried to push him off me, but he stayed firm. He intertwined his fingers with mine and leaned down to kiss me.

"Reese! Get inside! Maria! Go home!" Hal snapped, stomping inside, his hand on his crotch. "Oh, you boys are in _so_ much trouble!"  
>"I think I have to go home," I said, staring after Reese's dad.<p>

"I'll see you tonight," he said and kissed me again.

"One of these days, we're gonna get caught," I said as Reese helped me to my feet.

"I know," was all he said then we exchanged our 'I love you's' and I went home.

"Did you have a good time at the Wilkerson's?" my mom asked stiffly as we sat down to dinner.

"Yeah," I said. "Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey are a lot of fun. I watched them beat their dad in basketball and then gave Lois a makeover for work."

"Oh, so you're interacting with the whole family now!" Mom cried and I tried to ignore the spite in her voice.

"Yeah. They're nice people."

"So are you going to be spending a lot of your time there?" she asked as she bit into her mashed potatoes.

"Yeah. Actually, I am," I said, frowning. Between her and Alex, I was tired of everyone pushing me around.  
>Mom put her fork down and glanced at Graham, who was throwing peas on the floor and the nat Ben who was bent over his plate with music blasting from his iPod.<p>

"I already have enough problems with Ben getting arrested all the time. I don't want you getting in trouble, too."

"I won't get in trouble," I reassured her, but I had plenty of doubts.

_~YOUR LOVE IS ALL I TALK ABOUT.~_


	6. Reese Drives

_**Reese Drives**_

"It's gonna be great, Maria!" Reese gushed. "I'll be able to *drive* you to school *and* we can go on actual dates instead of hanging around this dump." He gestured around his room. We were sitting on his bed with Reese's arm thrown around my shoulder.

"Once I start driving, everything changes!"

"Yeah! My boyfriend is gonna be able to *drive*! This is gonna be awesome."

"Yeah. I just have to stay out of trouble for *one* more day and I'm home free!"

"Hey...I just noticed something. You sort of talk with a lisp," I said.

"With a what?"

"Nothing." I smiled up at him. "It's cute."

"Oh. Okay!"

"It just sucks that we go to different schools. I can't wait until I go to high school next year," I said.

"Yeah! It'll be great."

"But what about my senior year? You'll have graduated and I'll be all my myself," I said, pretending to pout.

"No, you won't. I'll just flunk senior year so we can still be together."

"Very funny."

"I'm not kidding." I stared at him.

"You would do that for me?"

"Sure."

"Hey. Just promise me you'll be careful when you're driving tomorrow. And don't get into trouble!" I cried.

"I promise."

"...a low-speed chase involving a teenager, a Driver's Ed car, and what appears to be a hostage." the announcer said, a vieww of the chase on the TV screen and a picture of Reese in the top right corner.

"It all happened so fast. They just took off...with my checkbook. And all my financial papers in the car. That's not an excuse...I just hope BVA understands the situation," the Driver's Ed teacher said as microphones were shoved in his face.

"Although the hostage seems to be unharmed, it's only a matter of time before the police decide to end it, one way or the other," the announcer said and this time, it showed a group of people on the bridge above the highway with signs such as 'GO REESE' and 'WE 3 YOU, REESE'.

"Oh no!" I cried, slapping a hand to my forehead, and leaning forward to look closer at the TV screen.

"What's wro-" my mom started, walking in the room and then she saw the TV screen. "Oh My *God*! Is that *Reese*?"

"Mm-hmm," I said, nervously.

"What the hell is *wrong* with that boy?" Mom cried, anxiously.

I kept my eyes glued to the TV screen, unwilling to answer her. "Hey, where's he going?" I asked as he made a turn into the DMV.

Reese weaved the Driver's Ed car neatly through the cones and around the obstacles before parallel parking, perfectly. The police tackled Reese to the ground and I clapped a hand over my mouth to kee from screaming.

"The suspect appears to be resisting. Oh! Looks like they're taking out the pepper spray!" the announcer cried and then Reese's screaming pierced the speakers. I moaned.

"He promised me he would stay out of trouble!" Mom turned to look at me, her eyes full of anger.

"That boy is nothing _but_ trouble!" she screamed, pointing at the TV screen. "You are _never_ to see him again!"

"But Mom-"

"NEVER!" she shrieked and stomped out of the room.

"...so my mom says that I can't date you anymore," I said, sadly, clinging to Reese's hand as we walked home from school. I turned to look up at him. "You promised me you would stay out of trouble."

"I tried! I really did! I'm _sorry,_ Maria!" he cried and I sighed and stopped walking.

"I know." Reese squeezed my hand and kissed me, softly. His forehead touched mine and he whispered,

"I love you."

"I love you, too," I said. "But what are we gonna do?"

"I don't know. We could date behind your mom's back."

"And yours," I said. "My mom probably called your mom."

"Yeah. We can do that."

"Yeah, it'll be sort of like Romeo and Juliet," I said, giggling and I expected Reese to roll his eyes but instead he took my hand that he was holding and kissed the top of it.

"We'll make it work," he said and kissed me again.

_~You know you're in love when you can't fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.~_


	7. Dewey's Dog

_**Dewey's Dog**_**  
><strong>  
>"I don't want you to interact with him at <em>school,<em> at his _work._ I don't want to see you in his _car_ or at his _house_. I don't want you to _see_ that boy's face  
>ever again, or even remember his <em>name!<em>" Mom shrieked at me.

"But Mom-"

"No buts!"

"UGHH! I HATE YOU!" I screamed and stomped upstairs. Of course Reese and I were still going out, but I had to keep up the act to keep my mom from finding out about  
>it.<p>

"Okay, so my parents are gonna be gone tomorrow night. You wanna swing on by and we could go out?" Reese asked me over the phone. I glanced at the door, making sure it wouldn't swing open with my mom standing there.

"Yeah, sure. You got your license back already?"

"Umm...yeah." I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. So where are we gonna go?"

"It's a surprise. So be there around 7:00, okay?"

"Kaay. So did your mom hound you about gonig out with me?" I asked and Reese laughed.

"Yeah. She was like, 'Maria is a very nice girl, but her mother doesn't think you two should see each other anymore. Not that I blame her.'"

"Ughh. Lucky. My mom's on like, a fit of rage. She screams every time I open my mouth. That driving stunt you pulled really pissed her off. She was going on and on about how the whole situation made _her_ look bad."

"Ha. Hey! I just remembered something! Dewey has a _dog!_"

"Really? Hal and Lois finally got him a dog?"

"What? No! Of course not! He _found_ one and he actually expects me and Malcolm to keep his stupid secret! We let it loose and it ate Mom and Dad's dinner-my roast-and then Dewey took the blame _and he got his stomach pumped!_ It was hilarious!" he cried and I giggled listening to him go on and on.

"So that's why Hal and Lois are going out tonight?"

"Yeah! Malcolm and I are gonna bust him tomorrow, so I'll fill you in on all the details."

"Sounds great. So what should I tell my mom that I'm doing tomorrow night?" I asked.

"I don't know. Say you're sleeping over at Alex's."

"No, Alex will never go for that. She hates you."

"Oh yeah."

"I could try Christine, though."

"Who?"

"Never mind. I've got it covered."

"Good!"

I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans and glanced at the time on my watch: 6:57 P.M. as I walked up the lawn to the Wilkerson's.

I knocked on the door and waited at the door for Reese to answer. But instead, it was Dewey.

"Hi, Maria. Come on in," he said and I stepped inside. I followed Dewey to the kitchen and gasped.

"Oh My God! What the hell is going on in here?"

"Dewey's gone crazy!" Reese cried.

"Help us!" Malcolm yelled and Dewey glared at them.

"Silence! Now you," he looked over at me. "aren't going to ruin this. Go sit over there and watch."

"What? Dewey, you're crazy if you think I'm not going to _do_ something about this-!" I started, but Marshamllow started barking like crazy.

"Okay, okay, I'm going!"

"This isn't what I had in mind for your surprise, Reese," I grumbled, putting my chin in my hands as I sat on the edge of the couch, facing them. "but you never cease to surprise me."

Suddenly, the doorbell rang again and we all looked up.

"Nobody move," Dewey said, holding up a hand just as Craig cried from the other side of the door,

"Helloooo? I know someone's home! I saw shapes moving on the curtain!"

"Marshmallow: guard!" Dewey commanded and went to answer the door.

"Hey, sport, is your dad home?" Craig asked, walking inside.

"No, they went to a restaurat, but they said you should go over-" Dewey started.

"Well, I just came to drop off some pants. They got a-"

"Craig! Help! Help us, please! Dewey's gone crazy; he's holding us prisoner!" Malcolm cried, pointing towards Marshmallow

"I'm sorry you had to see this," Dewey said and locked the front door. Before long, Craig was in a dress and make-up, too:

"#12: his twinkling eyes," Craig announced, reading from his paper.

Soon he even got them singing:

"We're stinky and evil, we're dumb and sarcastic, while Dewey in contrast is super fantastic. And that's why Dewey is kiiiiiing."

"Hey! It's haircut time! Think of your favorite Stooge and I'll be right back! Marshmallow, if anyone moves: eat them!" Dewey said before skipping down the hall.

"Aw man! Reese, I love your hair!" I pouted.

"This is insane! We've gotta do something!" Reese cried.

"I'm Moe," Craig said.

"We don't have a choice. I say, on the count of 3, we split up and all run for different doors!" Malcolm said.

"But he might get one of us!" Reese argued.

"Yeah, but 2 of us will get away and go for help!"

"I'm willing if you are. I can't sing anymore!" Craig moaned.

"Ready? On 3!" Malcolm said.

"Be careful!" I cried and Reese nodded at me.

"1...2...3!" Malcolm cried and Craig shot out of there screaming,

"Go, go, go, go, go!" with a barking Marshmallow on his tail.

Reese, Malcolm, and I all walked up to the window to watch Craig run out into the street.

"Craig's a good guy," Malcolm said. "He always comes through for us."

"Okay, so I couldn't find any rusty scissors, so we're gonna have to use-" Dewey started, skipping into the room but Reese and Malcolm just smirked  
>menacingly down at him.<p>

"What do you think? 1 more can?" Reese asked, holding up a can of dog food while Dewey licked some of it up from a bowl on the ground.

"Naw. We don't wanna spoil him," Malcolm said, holding up a leash.

"Who wants to go out in the front yard?" Reese asked.

"I call holding the leash!" I called.

"I'll remember this, too," Dewey growled.

"Hey, no way! _I_ get to hold the leash!" Malcolm argued.

"Too bad! I already called it!"

"Yeah, well _I'm_ the one holding it!"

"Malcolm, don't be such a baby!" I moaned, jumping off the table and running after him.

"OWW!" Dewey shrieked. "You stepped on my hand!"

"Shut up, Dewey, dogs can't talk!" I yelled as I was chasing Malcolm around the house.

"Come on, Dewey!" Malcolm yelled, wrapping the leash around his neck and yanking him out the door.

"Aww! Cheap shot!" I moaned.

"Hey, at least now we can be alone," Reese said.

"Huh?"

"I mean, tonight was fun, torturing Dewey and all, but it didn't turn out how I thought it would." I laughed.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's what I love about you, though. You make everything more exciting."

"Hold on," he said and popped a CD into the player and a song started playing. I rolled my eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he asked and held out his hand.

"You're a dork," I said, but took his hand, anyway. "This is stupid We're dancing in the middle of your living room and if Malcolm and Dewey come in, they're gonna make funna' you so bad."

"Shut up, you're ruining the moment. And I don't care."

*Third Person: Hal's POV*

Hal dragged himself out of the limo, and helped Lois out, too. They had just gotten back from the hospital, but still felt like crap.

"Well. this is just great, Hal," Lois murmured. "Diane  
>called and said-"<p>

"Who?" he asked.

"Diane Gonzalez. Maria's mom. Well, I guess Maria wasn't where she said she would be and Diane thinks she's here. God, Hal...I'm gonna kill that kid!" Hal sighed and shook his head. Why couldn't Reese ever listen or do as he was told? He lifted his headache-pounded head to look up at his house and what he saw in the window made him stop and smile.

There was Reese and Maria dancing in front of the TV. Well, not really dancing. Maria had her head on his shoulder and they both had their eyes closed and they were sort of just swaying to the music.

It was a normal scene for a happy, young couple but something about the fact that in just a few moments Lois would come bursting through the front door and shred any happiness that thoe two had left bothered him.

But of course, it wasn't his wife's fault.

Maria's mother didn't want her daughter to be with Reese-which was understandable-and he and Lois had to respect her wishes. But..

"God, Reese, I told you no! I am going to _murder_ him!" Lois grumbled, stomping to the front door, but Hal reached his hand out to stop her.

"Honey, wait," he murmured and she whipped around.

"What?" Hal didn't say anything, he just nodded in Reese and Maria's direction and Lois's face softened. But then he saw her take out her phone and his heart sunk.

"Diane? This is Lois. Maria...she's not here. I don't know where she could have gone," Lois said into the phone and then hung up.

"You are such a softie," he said, smiling at her.

_~you never leave my mind. even when i have a million things to worry about.~_


	8. Jury Duty

_**Jury Duty**_****

"You saw Stevie's mom _naked?_" I cried and Reese nodded, grinning.

"Yeah! Isn't it amazing?"

"No!" I yelled. "I'm your _girlfriend,_ Reese, you can't just go around looking at other women naked!"

"It was an accident! I can't _enjoy it_ if it was an accident?"

"NO!" I shrieked.

"Damn, Maria, what's your problem?"

"My _probem_ is that you're going around peeping at other girls! It's _creepy!_"

"I can't believe you're overreacting about this!" Reese yelled.

"God, you're such a _pig!_" I screamed, shoving him backwards. "Get out of my house!"

"Fine!" he shouted and climbed out the window.

"Perv!" I screamed and grabbed a book off my bed and threw it after him.

"Ow!" he yelped and I closed the window with a bang.

*Third Person: No One's POV*

"You know who's a joke? Girls!" Malcolm cried, and Reese nodded.

"Yeah!"

"Why do we even like them? They make our lives miserable and you can never understand what they want!"

"They're always saying, 'Stop staring at me!'. They don't even laugh at farts!"

"All they wanna do is talk about clothes!"

"They cry...all...the time!" Stevie cried.

After a while, the 3 of them calmed down and Reese sighed. Maria wasn't so bad after all.

"I'm just trying to be the best _me_ I can be. But sometimes I just don't know what to say to Maria, so I say something mean. Like today! We had nothing to talk about so I brought up that I saw Stevie's mom naked and that was what our whole fight was about!" he said. "I guess I'm just afraid of getting hurt, so I hurt her first."

"I think my problem is that I get so frustrated over the things I can't control," Malcolm said. "I forget that there are people with their own will and their own  
>needs."<p>

"I play...mind games. It's all...I have," Stevie admitted.

"You know, I really like having a girlfriend. Having someone to hang out with, that's really great," Reese said.

"Yeah," Malcolm agreed. "Someone you can talk to."

"Someone...to hug," Stevie sai.d

"Someone to show my poetry to," Reese admitted and everyone stopped and stared.

"You write...poetry?" Stevie asked with surprise.

"I dabble."

"Have you shown Maria yet?" Malcolm asked.

"No. I'm afraid she'll make fun of me."

"You know, Reese, you don't know how good you have it. I would kill for a girlfriend like Maria!" Malcolm cried. "Hey, what do you guys think about Brenda Pawlick?"

"She's nice, I think she'd be good for you," Reese said.

"You'd make...a cute couple," Stevie replied.

"Yeah, I thought so, too," Malcolm said.

*Maria's POV*

I was in my room, flipping through a magazine, wasting away Spring Break when my phone rang. When I saw the number I rolled my eyes and answered, "What do you want?"

"To say I'm sorry."

I thought about this. "Really?"

"Yeah. Can I come over?"

"No, sorry, my mom's here. Why?"

"Cuz I wanted to show you something. It's important."

"I could meet you somewhere?"

"Sure. Where, though?"

"I don't care. The park?"

"Okay. I'll see you in 5 minutes."

"Okay, bye." I hung up the phone and ran downstairs. I knew just how to do this.

"Mom, I'm bored," I moaned, sitting down at the table.

"Then take Graham, to the park! I need to get him out of my hair; I still can't find Ben!" I grinned. She was too easy.

"Mom, that's not what I meant."

"Too bad! Here!" she snapped, giving me my little brother.

I was walking towards the park, dragging Graham, by his hand.

"Hey. Sorry, I had to bring him," I said, nodding towards my 4-year-old brother.

"It's okay," Reese said.

"So what did you want to show me?"

"Oh. Yeah. Right," he murmured and fished around in his pockets before handing me a half-crumpled piece of paper. "I wrote it for you."

"Me?" I repeated, stupidly and looked down at the paper, written in Reese's messy handwriting:

_I'd rather have  
>bad times with you,<br>than good times  
>with someone else.<br>I'd rather be beside you  
>in a storm,<br>than safe and warm  
>by myself.<br>I'd rather have  
>hard times together<br>than to have it easy apart.  
>Remember I'd always<br>love you, baby.  
>You are the one<br>that holds my heart._

"Aww!" I moaned, letting go of Graham's hand to give Reese a big hug.

"Do you like it?"

"Hell yes! It's _so_ sweet! I'll keep it forever and ever!"

"Cool. So...are we okay?"

"Yes! All is forgiven!" I gave him another hug. "Aww, I love you!"

_~Love is something you can only dream of having.~_


	9. The Summer: June

**THE SUMMER (JUNE)**

The few months of school that we had left after Spring Break just flew by. Reese and I celebrated our 1-year anniversary in April and before we knew it, it was summertime.

"This is so awesome," I gushed as Reese clamped his big hand over my smaller one. "This summer is gonna rock. If my mom ever lets me mention your name again. Christ, Reese, she thinks I've completely moved on. We've hardly even talked about you since February."

"So? That just means you're home free. Maybe now she'll get off your back and actually let you go out now," Reese said.

"I don't know. She's all over me in her snooty little voice going, 'Oh, Maria, it's time you got a new boyfriend. You can't dwell on Reese forever. It's about time you moved on." And I told her very nicely that I'm not looking for a boyfriend right now."

"Did she buy it?"

"I guess so, because she started talking about how I'll be starting high school 'in just a few short months' and how that's start to get crazy and 'teens make bad choices'. Here comes the lecture about drugs and sex. Blah blah blah."

"Drugs and sex, huh?" he asked, smirking, but I ignored him.

"And I need you to help me. I didn't miss a single day of school this year-don't even ask me how it happened. Mom thinks I've straightened out since I stopped dating you so now she only has Ben to worry about. Ha!" I cried, and shook my empty fist in the air.

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know. Let's do something crazy this summer. Maybe even dabble in all these so-called 'drugs and sex' things that my mother very kindly planted in my head. Just _something_ to piss off my mom. I don't know...it's like I _want_ her to find out about us, like I _want_ to get in trouble. How weird is that? Oh God, I'm turning into you."

"What's wrong with that?"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry. I just feel weird, like all tingly inside. Like I _know_ something awesome is gonna happen this summer."

And I was right.

It all started at Jenny Moore's party on a Saturday night in June. My mom was out of town with her boyfriend (gag me) and Reese told Hal and Lois that he was-well, who cares?

I was leaning up against a wall while Reese went to go get us some beers when Cynthia came up to talk to me. Yes, Krelboyne Cynthia. Well, she didn't really _come up to talk to me,_ it was more like we were at the same place at the same time.

"Oh, hey, Cynthia. I'm surprised to see you here," I said, smiling.

"What? You think that just because I'm a Krelboyne doesn't mean I don't like to have fun?" she cried, happily and I smiled.

"Sorry. So are you here with anyone?"

"Nope! It's just me. How about you, Maria?"

"Uhh...yeah. I'm here with Reese. He should be back any minute," I said and Cynthia's smile faltered, slightly.

"Oh. Oh! Reese! Right. You guys are dating, right?" I smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

"That's cool, I guess. So are you guys pretty serious?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I said and then cried suddenly, "Dammit, what is taking him so long?" I stand on my tip-toes to search the crowd for my boyfriend.

"Listen, I know this is none of my business, but...have you guys gone all the way yet?" Cynthia asked and I snapped my attention back to her.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have asked. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. It's just..." I sighed and shook my head. "No. We haven't."

"Oh. Well, are you-" she started, but was interrupted by Reese coming stumbling towards us with 2 beers.

"Here," he murmured, giving me one and I smiled in thanks.

"So, aren't you guys excited that you're both gonna be in the same school next year?" Cynthia asked and Reese just stared at her, like he had _just_ realized that she was standing there.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he snapped and I frowned at him while sipping my beer.

"Reese, be nice."

"Shouldn't you be at home with all your other Krelboyne friends?" Reese grumbled and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shut up! You're being a jerk." I turned to Cynthia, but now apparentally there were 4 different Cynthia's in the room and they were all spinning.

"Sorry about him," I slurred, trying to bring everything into focus. "Damn, how am I so drunk after just one beer? God, I'm pathetic."

"It's probably because you've never really had beer before," Cynthia said and I nodded, frowning, before tossing an empty beer can into the nearest trash can.

"I think I'm a little tipsy," I said, grinning. "Haha, isn't that a funny word? Tipsy? It's like, tiiiippssseeeeeyy. Hahahahaha!"

"Hey, I think I'm gonna go get us another beer," Reese slurred before throwing his can at the garbage and missing.

"Ohkaaaayyy! Hurry back, baby!" I cried, giggling and he stumbled away.

"Uhh...Maria, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine! I feel _great,_ like all funny and shit. Hahahaha! Isn't that hilarious?"

"Umm...sure. But Maria, I think you should get out of here before you do something that you'll regret later," Cynthia said, worriedly and I just rolled my eyes and giggled.

"Don't worry, silly, I'll be okay! Hey, you should loosen up, too! Have a beer, for Pete's sake! Hey, who _is_ Pete, anyway? Was there just this guy named Pete who was one day like, 'I'm gonna have people swear on my sake. Righteous, man!' Hahaha! Like a stoner boy!"

"You're really starting to freak me out."

"Stoner. That's a funny word, too. Just ike tiiiippssseeeeeyy. I could be a stoner, don't you think, Cynthia? I've always wanted to just..._loosen up!_" I giggld and waved my arms around like a spaz. "There's _gotta_ be somebody at this party with weed, right? I mean, we're almost in high school!"

"I _don't_ think you should become a stoner. It kills brain cells, you know."

"Pah! Like I even had any to begin with! And who cares about your brain, anyway? I mean, do we really _need_ it? The heart is _my_ favorite organ cuz it's all full of love, like how much I love Reese." I giggled and stumbled around, having to grab the snack table for support. "I just _love_ love, don't you? Speaking of who I love, where is Reese?"

Just as soon as I asked that, there was a loud crash coming from the kitchen and lots of loud yells. Then I saw Reese go stumbling backwards and slump down in front of the fridge.

"Oh My Gosh!" I cried, and started to run towards the kitchen with Cynthia on my heels, but I made a face-plant into the ground. Cynthia helped me to my feet and everything was spinning like a tornado. Then I remembered...

"REESE!" I yelped and stumbled towards him, collapsing next to him in a drunken haze.

"Get out of the way!" a senior boy snarled, but I shoved him backwards.

"Leave him alone!" I cried, wiping away my tears and trying to hoist Reese to his feet.

"Maria, get offa' me!" he grumbled, trying to struggle away from my grip as I dragged him away.

"No!" I waled, grabbing him by his shirt collar and dragging him upstairs. "You're drunk!" The world spun around me and I waved my arm around to try and find something solid.

I found a door knob and turned it fiercely, shoving Reese onto the bed and slamming the door behind us. I collapsed on the bed beside him in tears.

"What are we gonna do, Reese?" I moaned, burying my tear-stained face in my hand. "We're both drunk and there's no way to get home unless we drive and...and we can't drive home drunk, but if we call our parents, then we're dead!"

"It'll be fine," Reese murmured, wiping the blood off his face and onto the side of the bed.

"You promise?" I pouted, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"I promise," Reese said and pushed my hair back, and started to kiss my neck.

"Reese, stop it," I said, giggling and gently trying to push him off, but he just pulled me closer to him.

"Come on, Maria, loosen up," Reese murmured against my neck and I picked up a beer that was on the floor. And another. And another.

Before I knew it, I was lying on my back-naked, I might add-under the covers with Reese. It was dark and quiet and my mind was swimming. I could barely grasp what was going on, what was _happening_ at this very moment (hint, hint).

Reese seemed to be just as out of it as I was, and we were both numbly doing what our bodies told us to do.

"Maria," he murmured against my lips and I slid my fingers throug his hair.

Maria2hott: hey.  
>Cynthiagal: maria! hi! wats upp?<br>Maria2hott: i *rly* need 2 talk 2 sumone.  
>Cynthiagal: umm...ok. talk.<br>Maria2hott: after reese got in the fite last nite...wat did u do?  
>Cynthiagal: oh, nothing rly! just hung out 4 a while and then went home. hbu? i didnt c u leave last nite!<br>Maria2hott: thats cuz i didnt. cynthia...i think i had sex.  
>Cynthiagal: WHAAAAT? u and reese...?<br>Maria2hott: mm-hmm.  
>Cynthiagal: omg! no offense but...y r u telling *me* about this?<br>Maria2hott: cuz i have no1 else 2 tell.  
>Cynthiagal: what about ur friends?<br>Maria2hott: they woudnt understand or they wud just yell me.  
>Cynthiagal: well...what now?<br>Maria2hott: idk. i mean, im not *sad* that we did it-that part was rly nice. but it wasnt how i imagined it :(  
>Cynthiagal: aww.<br>Maria2hott: u dont think that reese will break up w/ me now, do u? cuz alex said he wud, once we...did wat we just did.  
>Cynthiagal: idk, maria. reese is a jerk, but i think uk him a *little* better than i do, dont ya' think?<br>Maria2hott: yea i guess. and when reese dropped me off he was all smiley and kept saying 'i love u' over and over. OMG! u dont think hes gonna go and *tell* every1, do u?  
>Cynthiagal: well prolly not *every1* but i bet word will get around :  
>Maria2hott: shit. i am dead. i am *so* dead!<br>Cynthiagal: y?  
>Maria2hott: be*cuz* my older brother is gonna be a sophomore and i *bet he'll find out and tell my mom! and once alex finds out...oh crap!<br>Cynthiagal: alex masters?  
>Maria2hott: yea, shes gonna kill me. she rly and truly will.<br>Cynthiagal: y?  
>Maria2hott: cuz just like my mom and every1 else, alex thinks im making a *huge* mistake by dating reese. excpet alex is more up front about it. she didnt hold back wen she told me wat she thought.<br>Cynthiagal: which was?  
>Maria2hott: that reese was a 'dumb slacker, never-amount-to-anything, good for nothing j.d. who would have sex with me and then dump me' and that i could do 'so much better'.<br>Cynthiagal: ouch.  
>Maria2hott: tell me about it.<br>Cynthiagal: i dont mean 2 tell u how 2 live ur life, but i rly think u shud ditch this alex chick.  
>Maria2hott: ...<br>Maria2hott: u rly think so?  
>Cynthiagal: yea.<br>Maria2hott: well thanx 4 listening :DD i g2g, so ill talk to u l8r.  
>Cynthiagal: k<p>

_~he smiles then looks away, and you wonder just maybe that smile meant something he couldn't say.~_


	10. The Summer: July

_**THE SUMMER (JULY)**_

_I remembered kicking and chanting, throwing my pom-poms into the air along with all the other cheerleaders on the sidelines to basketball games. Getting hoisted into_

_the air, the wind whipping through my perfectly-straightened hair and landing into safe arms and striking a pose._

_"Go Team, go! Go Team, go!" I chanted along with the other cheerleaders, clapping and squealing as our team scored another point._

_Other girls stared at me in jealousy, knowing that my perfectly-curved 7th grade body would only grow and improve over time. Knowing that I had the perfect friends, the perfect family, the perfect body, the perfect _life._ And at the time, I did. Dad was still around. Sure, he and Mom got a divorce, but he was still _around._ Graham was a bubbly 2-year-old tht my mom could brag about to all her friends. Ben wasn't always in jail or hanging out with his criminal friends._

_Alex was still bossy as ever, but lately I had seemed to please her to she stayed off my back. Christine had laid off stalking me and Alex, and Danny was captain of the basketball team. Everything _was_ absolutely perfect._

_I remembered that Ben was in wrestling that year and Mom, Graham, and I were at one of his meets. I had my cell phone clapsed in my hand, awaiting a text from Alex, and scanning the crowd for my brother._

_"Where _is_ Ben? His match is up soon!" Mom cried, bouncing a gigging Graham on her hip and I shrugged._

_"I don't know." I glanced over behind the bleachers and saw a guy-Reese Wilkerson-in wrestling gear, with some kid in a headlock._

_Reese looked up all of a sudden and we just stared at each other for a long time. It wasn't one of those weird, awkward silences but more like we were trying to figure each other out. Like we knew each other's names and reputations, because we went to the same school, but we were trying to _really_ get to know each other just by a single look._

_"Hey, Reese, you'd better get ready! You're up!" his coach called and we both glanced his way._

_"It's my match," Reese said, and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. Like I didn't already know that._

_"I'll be watching," I replied, smirking. "Don't disappoint me."_

_Reese threw the nerd in the headlock onto the ground and marched out onto the wrestling mat._

_"I think he likes you," the nerd said as he scrambled to his feet. I glared down at him._

_"Shut up!"_

_"Oh My God!" my mom cried, breaking my attention from the nerd, to her. "They're gonna make him fight a _girl?_ They'd better not do that to Ben or there will be hell to pay!"_

_And sure enough, when I looked over, Reese was sparring with a tall, blonde girl. I expected him to beat her down without a sweat-him being the school bully and all-but she had him flopping all over the mat like a rag doll._

_While the girl was running around the mat collecting her applause, and Reese was laying defeated on the ground, he looked over at me as if I, and I alone, could make his embarrassment disappear._

_I sighed and climbed down the bleachers, making my way over to him on the mat, sliding my phone into my pocket. I extended my hand and he took it, hoisting himself to his feet._

_"I thought you said you weren't gonna disappoint me. That looked pretty disappointing to me," I stated with a smile, but instead of smiling back, Reese ducked his head down and high-tailed it out of there as the next match started. Ben's match._

_"Oh man, did you hear about Reese's wrestling match last night?" Danny asked me and Alex over lunch the next day._

_"Yeah! I heard he got his _ass_ kicked by a girl!" Alex cried, laughing. "Hey, Maria, isn't Ben in wrestling?"_

_"Yeah. I was there," I said and drank out of my water bottle._

_"Oh My God, really? You actually _saw_ it?" Danny cried._

_"Yeah."_

_"Was it as hilarious as everyone is saying it was?" I shrugged._

_"I don't know. I actually fely kind of bad for him." Alex and Danny just stared at me._

_"Hey, you guys! Take cover!" Christine cried, running up to us and out of breath._

_"What? Why?" Alex asked._

_"Look!" she yelled and pointed at the playground. Reese had a food stai all over his shirt, an empty food tray, and a small 6th grader standing in front of him,_

_looking terrified It's not too hard to figure out what happened._

_"Shit," Danny murmured and the whole playground went silent as they stared atthe scene laying out before them._

_"YOU WANT SOMETHING TO LOOK AT? I'LL _GIVE_ YOU SOMETHING TO LOOK AT!" Reese screamed, throwing his food tray onto the ground and jumping onto a picnic table. He picked up two chocolate milk cartons and drenched himself with them while everyone stared in awe, with their jaws hanging open._

_"Oh My God, what a freak!" Alex scoffed after Reese had stomped away, covered from head to toe in chocolate milk._

_"He's just embarrassed," I murmured, staring down atmy hands._

_"Why do you care?" Alex snapped and I felt myself get red._

_"I don't. I-I was just saying._

_After that day, Reese stopped being the school bully and everyone was happier. The boys stopped getting beat up and the girls stopped getting their pigtails pulled._

_Everyone was so much happier._

_Except for me._

_I had wanted Reese to change in the first grade when he pulled my hair every single day. I had wanted Reese to change when he beat up my brother for a year. I had_

_wanted Reese to change when he gave Danny wedgies all through elementary school. I had always wanted him to change. But now that he had...I wanted the old Reese back._

_Ever since that day-that moment-at the wrestling match, my attitude towards Reese had changed I felt like there was so much more to him than just a bully and I wanted to find out who he was._

_I didn't know _why_ I cared so much about him. Probably because there was so much more to me than just a cheerleader, and I wanted someone to figure that out. To notice, to care, to give a damn! Someone to care enough to try to get to know the real me. So I guess he and I were sort of on the same page._

_Sort of._

_I was walking across the playground with my paper bag lunch, scanning for Alex or Danny when I saw Reese sitting alone. He glanced over in my direction and when our eyes met, he smiled and waved me over._

_I hesisated, but then quickly made my way over to him and sat down._

_"Hey, Reese," I said._

_"Hey. And my name isn't Reese anymore."_

_"Then what is it?"_

_"I don't know, but it isn't Reese. Brother Billy gave me a new name."_

_"Brother Billy?"_

_"Yeah. He's got a lot to say and he makes me feel good. Here," he said, digging through his backpack and then handed me a pamphlet._

_"Umm...thanks, Reese," I replied, putting the pamphlet down next to me, by my lunch. "I mean...whatever your name is."_

_Then, out of the blue, he leaned over and kissed me. And it was a loooooong kiss, too. When he leaned back, I was breathless._

_"Oh wow, Reese," I gasped, smiling._

_"Hey, I already told you! My name isn't Reese anymore."_

_"Well, I need to know what to call you," I said, sadly._

_"What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing. I just liked the old you better, that's all," I admitted and surprised myself by being so honest. Why was it so easy to be myself with Reese when I insisted on hiding from everyone I cared about?_

_"But why? I was a jerk!"_

_"Yeah, but that was _you_. Not some fake you who turned pussy because he got beat up by a girl," I said and grabbed up my stuff before walking away._

_"Oh My God! Did I just see you kiss _Reese Wilkerson?_" Christine cried. I opened my mouth to deny it but then I looked over and saw Alex smiling and kissing her football player boyfriend, and then glanced back at Reese, who was now talking to Malcolm._

_"Yeah. Yeah, you did," I said, smiling and Christine gasped before turning around and racing across the playground. The news would without a doubt be heard by everyone by the end of the day._

_"Hey! Watch out!" someone yelled and I jumped out of the way as two kids came rolling in front of me. I looked around and saw a battlefield: the whole school was in anarchy. _

_Kids beating up other kids, blood and tears being shed everywhere you looked. It was a complete madhouse._

"This is my favorite part," Reese interrupted me. We were lying on the roof of his parents' car with a blanket, and I had my head on his shoulder.

"Yeah. Mine, too," I said, smiling up at him. "I love this story."

"Yeah, me too. It's gonna be a great story to tell our kids." I smiled up at him.

"Kids?"

"Yeah. You like kids, don't you?"

"I _love_ kids. I'm just surprised you do."

"I don't. But I bet I'll love our kids."

"AWW! You are _so_ sweet" I moaned and then leaned up to kiss him. When I leaned back, I sighed.

"What's the matter?"

"Things don't have to change between us now that we're having sex, do they? I asked, but Reese just stared at me.

"What do you mean?

"I'm just saying that sex changes things. Mostly in a bad way. And I don't want that to happen to us."

"We'll be fi-" Reese started, but was interrupted by the sound of a car screeching to a stop in front of the driveway and the blaring of a horn.

"Who the hell is that?" Reese asked, trying to peer through the darkness.

"Oh My God! That's my _mom!_" I cried.

"MARIA GONZALEZ, IS THAT YOU?" my mom screamed. "YOU GET IN THE CAR THIS INSTANT!"

"How did she know?" I cried as Hal, Lois, Malcolm, and Dewey came running outside.

"MARIA, I AM _TALKING_ TO YOU!" she screeched and I could feel tears welling up.

"Reese, she's never gonna let me see you again," I whimpered and burid my tear-stained face in his neck.

"Maria...Maria, please don't cry!" he begged as Mom blared the horn again.

"But I love you," I whispered.

"I love you too-" Reese started and then said, "Hey, look." I turned around and saw Lois marching up to my mom's car with a look that could kill.

TO BE CONTINUED...

_~if you love someone, tell them. because hearts are often spoken by words that are left unspoken.~_


	11. The Summer: July  Continued

_**THE SUMMER (JULY: CONTINUED)**_

RECAP: Maria is telling Reese the the story of how they first met. The story takes place in the episode 'The Bully' from Season 2. Maria's mom pulls up in her car before Maria can finish the story and demands that Maria come with her. Can Lois save the day?

"What the hell is she doing?" I asked, watching as Lois approached the car door."

"I think...she's trying to calm your mom down!"

"No way!"

We turned our attention to the two arguing moms, who were now yelling.

"Oh, crap!" I moaned. Lois turned around to look at us and called, "Maria, I think you should come down now."

I gulped and shot a nervous glance at Reese before giving him one last long, lingering kiss before climbing down to the ground.

I snuck a glance at Lois before slinking to the passenger side and getting in. As soon as I did, my mom stepped down on the accelerator and we shot forward.

"I cannot _believe_ you! Sneaking around behind my back, _lying_ to me, whoring around with that boy!"

"Mom-" I started, but she cut me off.

"I don't even know you anymore! I specifically _told_ you that you couldn't see him anymore, but you defied me!"

"But _Mom-_"

"Why do you even waste your time on a stupid lowlife like Reese? And don't even get me _started_ on his family-"

"Don't talk about him like that!" I snapped and Mom stared at me, nearly driving her car into a ditch.

"Maria...I just don't understand."

"He's not just some _guy,_ Mom! I _love_ him!"

"You're making a big mistake."

"No, I'm not! I love Reese and he loves me, too!"

"I'm so sorry, honey," Mom said, slowing her car down and looking at me sympathetically. "I never should have let it get this bad. I knew he was trouble from the start."

"But he's _not-_"

"I can't believe that you could be so blind. He only wants you for sex, Maria."

"No, he doesn't!"

"_Yes,_ he does."

"No, he doesn't! And I can prove it because we've already _had_ sex and we're still together!"

I probably shouldn't have said that.

**AUGUST**

Now I'm spending the reminaing weeks of my summer in Florida. Mom's dragging the entire family to her boyfriend, Jim's summer home. She keeps saying that it's to give

us a chance to bond, but I know it's so that she can keep me away from Reese.

"Ooh, this is going to be _sooo_ much fun!" Mom gushed as we took our seats on the plane. She, Jim, and Graham took their seats and Ben and I sat behind them.

"Yeah, whatever," I murmured as I plopped down in my seat.

"This vacation is gonna suck," Ben grumbled as he unwound the earphones from his iPod. "I'm not gonna be able to see Kathy for a month. God knows what she's gonna do without me!"

"Kathy? Kathy Gilmore?" I asked, frowning.

"Yeah. She's my girlfriend."

"That crazy, druggie slut with all the piercings?" I cried and Ben glared at me.

"Don't talk about her like that. There's more to her than you think." I remembered using almost those exact words to describe Reese so I just nodded and said,

"Right. Sorry." My phone vibrated in my pocket and I took it out to check it.

"Oh, umm...I have to go to the bathoom," I said as I started to get up. Ben glanced my way, then smirked and said,

"Don't let Mom catch you talking to Reese." When he saw the look of panic on my face he grinned and said, "I won't tell her. Don't worry."

I turned and ran into the bathroom and answered my phone.

"Hi, baby."

"Hey."

"Sorry it took so long for me to answer, I had to sneak into the bathroom. And it smells _awful_* in here!"

"It's okay. I had to wait for my parents to bohth leave or else I would have called you sooner."

"It's no big deal-wait a second, they won't let us date, either?"

"No. As soon as you left, my mom blew up on me, screaming about how she never wants to see me with you again."

"Oh, I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better, my mom screamed at me for 2 straight days."

"Now why would that make me feel better?" I blushed.

"I don't know."

"Hey, whar are you wearing?"

I rolled my eyes. "Reese, you're a perv."

"Oh come on, just tell me."

"Well...pink flip-flops, a t-shirt and slutty short-shorts."

"Very sexy."

"Are you satisfied?"

"Yes."

"You should just skip asking me what I'm wearing and go right to asking me about what's _under_ my clothes."

"You are the _greatest_ girlfriend...ever."

"I know," I said, giggling and then pouted: "I can't believe I'm not gonna see you for almost a whole month. I'm gonna miss you _so_ much."

"Well, I already miss you-shut up!" Reese snapped and I giggled.

"Tell Malcolm and Dewey I say hi."

"Shut up."

"Don't be mean to me, this could be the last time we talk in a week?"

"Really?"

"Yes. My mom is on full lockdown. The only reason I'm here now is because Graham's keeping her occupied."

"Shit, that sucks."

"Hey, you know what I just rememered?"

"What's that?"

"I never finished telling you the story."

"Oh yeah! Tell me now."

"Well, you started stomping around th playground, beating people up and showing them who's boss in a way that was _very_ sexy. And I was so, so, _so_ impressed and swooned by Reese's maximum hotness that when he asked me out, I didn't hesitate to say yes and jump into his arms so he could whisk me away to a life of romance and happiness."

"That's what I like to hear. And hey, I have to go, but I'll call you later so make sure you get away from your mom so we can talk."

"Okay, I will."

"Bye, I love you."

"I love you, too."


	12. The Summer: August

_**THE SUMMER (AUGUST)**_

It was around midnight later that night and I was in my room in Jim's summer home-more like summer cabin-under the covers with my cell phone pressed to my ear.

"...and Mom made Jim's summer home sound like-a summer home! Like some luxury condo or something, but it's just a fucking _cabin._"

"So it's really small?" Reese guessed.

"No, actually, it's huge. And there's a lake and woods and everything."

"This Jim guy sounds rich."

"He _is!_ Well, not millionaire rich, but still rich enough to afford a summer home."

"Sounds fun."

"I guess. But I'd rather be back in California with you," I pouted.

"Me too." We were quiet for a while before I whispered,

"This isn't gonna work, is it?"

"What won't work?"

"Us. We can't keep doing this. We're gonna get caught eventually."

"But..."

"I'm not saying that I want us to _not_ be together, but I'm just saying that it's gonna be really hard with both our parents doing everything they can to make sure we _never_ see each other."

"What about school?"

"Oh My Gosh...I totally forgot about school! I'm gonna be in high school this year and I mean, it's not like they're gonna transfer me!"

"Yeah. So we're not breaking up then?"

"What? No, of course not! Oh My God, I'm _so_ excited! They can't keep us apart now!"

"Yeah. Literally," Reese said and I blushed.

"I know," I murmured. "I want to have sex again, too. But it has to be diferent this time, it has to be _special._ So that I can actually remember the whole thing."

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I was too drunk to know what I was doing half the time."

"I know, right? I'm gonna tackle you to the ground when I see you on the 20th."

"Yeah-wait, the 20th? That's the day before school starts."

"I know. My mom wants to keep me away from you for literally as long as possible."

"Shit. We're not gonna have any time." Even though he didn't say it out loud, I knew what he meant.

"We'll make time. Hey, I'm getting kinda tired so I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay. 'Nite, I love you."

"I love you, too." I hung up my cell phone and put it on my bedside table. But you know how it is-as soon as you lay down to go to sleep, you're not tired anymore. So

I got op and went downstairs to get a glass of water when I heard Jim and my mom talking in the kitchen. I ducked down behind the staircase so they wouldn't see me.

"...what am I gonna do, Jim? My kids are out of control!" Mom moaned and I realized she was crying. "Ben is doing drugs! And Maria...Maria is having sex with that _boy!_"

"At least Graham seems to be doing okay for now," Jim joked and I stifled a giggle but Mom just glared at him.

"This isn't funny! I thought her dating Reese in the 7th grade was just a phase, but she's going to start high school in a few weeks, and she still..."

"Loves him?" Jim guessed.

"Yes," Mom murmured, sadly. "I believe that she loves him. I do. I'm just not sure that he loves her back."

"Diane, I know you're going to hate haring this, but who's to say he doesn't? And I really think you should let Maria sink and swim on her own..."

I didn't hear the rest. By then I had already crept back upstairs and was knocking softly on the door across from mine. I opened it a crack and peeked my head inside.

"Katherine? Are you awake?" I whispered into the darkness.

Katherine and Dominick were Jim's kids. Katherine was 17, and Dominick was 6. I was 15, Ben was 16, and Graham was 5.

I heard a small sigh and then the bedside table lamp came on with a flicker.

"Come on in."

Katherine had long, brown hair and a pretty face. She smiled at me as I sat down on the edge of her bed.

"What's up?"

"You know why we're really here, don't you?" I asked, and Katherine smirked.

"To keep you away from your trouble-makin', virginity-stealin', badass boyfriend? Yeah, I know." After I didn't say anything, Katherine asked: "What do you want?"

"I just...I don't know. It seems like your dad is gonna convince my mom to give him a chance."

Katherine grinned. "Yeah, he tends to do that. Give him 20 more minutes and your mom will personally be handing you a hotel room key."

"Really?"

"Definitely."

And she was right.

~My favorite part about school is seeing YOU.~


	13. Humilithon

_**Humilithon**_

I flung open the passenger seat door of my mom's minivan open and raced across the school campus. Today was my first day of high school, and would be the first time I

saw Reese in a month.

I spotted him across the campus with Malcolm and Mr. Herkabe and sprinted over to them.

"REEEESE!" I screamed and when he jerked around to look behind him, I propelled myself into his arms.

"Maria...!" Reese cried in shock, stumbling backwards and knocking ito Mr. Herkabe, who fell on his ass. Malcolm stifled his laughter and I giggled into Reese's neck as I hopped down from his arms.

"Who the hell are _you?_" Mr. Herkabe snapped, picking himself up off the ground and dusting off his pants.

"I'm Maria. Reese's girlfriend." Mr. Herkabe raised his eyebrows.

"The juvenile delinquint has a girlfriend?"

"You bet," I said and grabbed Reese's hand.

"I'm gonna be watching you two," Mr. Herkabe growled, point at us and then I heard Lois call his name in the distance so the 3 of us split.

"Hey, when did you get back?" Reese asked after we ditched Malcolm.

"Yesterday. But we had tons of unpacking to do, so that's why I didn't come over."

"So your mom's cool with us dating?"

"Yeah! Isn't that awesome?"

"Yeah," Reese said and gently pressed me up against the lockers before passionately kissing me.

"Wow," I said, giggling and then pulled my schedule out of my bag. "Hey, can you show me where the North Quad is-?"

"Who cares about that?" Reese asked, slapping the schedule out of my hand and moving his lips to my neck.

"Hey, I need that," I said and ducked under his arm to snatch it up off the floor.

"Come on it's not like we're gonna be _going_ to any classes today," Reese said and I stared at him.

"We're not?"

"Nope," he replied with a smirk and kissed me again as the hallways began to clear.

"B-but what're we gonna do all da-?" I started but then I got it. "Reese, not _here!_"

"Why not?" he murmured as he clambered for the doorknob of the utility closet.

"Because...because...because..." I gasped, searching for an answer as Reese kissed me and out a hand on my hips.

"Your parents are here...they'll catch us for sure...then we'll both be dead..." I murmured in between kisses as the darkness of the supply closet swallowed us and

Reese shut the door behind us.

"Reese..." I whispered as he unbuttoned my jeans and pushed them down to my ankles, along with my panties. He yanked his pants and underwear down in a second.

This wasn't how I imagined it at all. The closet was small and hot and extremely cramped, but I couldn't get myseflf to stop. My body just wanted more and more, _I_ wanted more and more.

And then Reese was inside me and I let out a moan as he kissed my neck. I groped around in the darkness for something to grab onto and found a mop, but it clattered to the ground with a 'bang!'.

"Shh," Reese whispered as he gently thrusted. "Someone might hear."

"I don't care," I whispered back and sighed out of pleasure.

It was a while later (I don't know how long) and Reese and I both had our clothes back on and were sitting on the floor of the supply closet, talking.

"My summer was pretty boring after you left," Reese said. "But a few days ago, Mom and Dad took us to the zoo and this psycho goat tried to kill me! I took care of it, though. I promised not to press charges, and the zoo promised not to throw me in jail."

"Oh, God! What did you _do_ to that poor goat?"

"Nothing it didn't have coming."

"Oh My God."

"Oh yeah, and Malcolm and Dewey almost got eaten by tigers."

"_What?_" I cried.

"They're okay, though."

"Well, _obviously!_ What happened?"

"I don't know. They got trapped in the tiger cage or something."

"Oh My God. Only you guys would do that."

"Yeah, I guess."

"Hey, your hair got blonder!" I cried, suddenly, running my hand through it, gently. "How did I not notice it before? Did you highlight it again?"

"I might have."

"You _might_ have? What do you mean you _might_ have? Either you did or you didn't-" I started, annoyed, but Reese interrupted me:

"What about your summer? Did you have fun at your rich step-dad's summer home?"

"Almost step-dad."

"Right. So, did you?"

"Yeah, I guess. They have this huge hill leading to the lake and even though it was summer out, Katherine, Graham, Dominick, and I all got out of our sleds and went down it into the water. Graham ran into a tree, so we had to stop doing that and just jump in the lake like normal people. We played hide and seek and Marco Polo and _tons_ of other stuff, cuz the lake and the woods are so huge that you can do anything there! Hey! You and your family should come with us next summer!"

"I wish."

"No, I'm serious! It'll be _so_ much fun!"

"Are you kidding me? Your mom _hates_ my mom. And me! And my entire family. I don't see that happening."

"But maybe...hey, why does she hate your mom specifically?"

"Cuz...well, you know how when my mom went to go calm your mom down the first time she saw us together?"

"Yeah."

"Your mom started saying all this kind of stuff like how our family wasn't good enough for you or her and my mom got _really_ mad and said stuff she shouldn't have. You know my mom."

"Oh My _God!_" I gasped. "I can't believe my mom said that! I _love_ your family! More than I love my own family!"

"Yeah, I know. Your mom's just a bitch."

"Hey!"

"Well, she is."

"Well...yeah."

I got home from the Wilkerson's around 6, so I could make it home for dinner, and my mom bombarded me at the door.

"Soo...? How was it?"

"How was what?" I asked, and then it hit me. "Oh! High school. Right. It was fine."

"Did you get to all your classes okay?" Mom asked me as I put my backpack on the floor and sat down for dinner.

"Umm...yeah. Reese showed me." Mom showed fake-happiness.

"Oh, well that was nice of him!" Hey, at least she's trying.

To be honest, all Reese _really_ showed me was how to do it in the utility closet and not get caught. Cuz after we talked about our summers, we fooled around a little bit more, and then snuck out of the closet once we were sure it was lunchtime. After lunch, Reese wanted to go back in the closet (haha) and fool around some more, but I told him that I had to get to _some_ of my classes today, which made him cranky because that meant he had to go to _his_ classes.

"Yeah. It was sort of a crazy day, but I'm sure it'll be better tomorrow," I lied, uneasily. Since Reese and I were having sex in a utility closet while everyone else was experiencing First Day Madness, _I_ got to experience my First Day Madness on the second day, which was tomorrow.

I ate my dinner really fast and then went upstairs to finish the boatload of homework that I was pretending to have.

It was the next day and I had just gotten there when Reese came running up to meet me.

"Oh, hey baby-" I started, but he just yelled a quick,

"Come on!" before grabbing me by the hand and yanking me after him.

"Reese! Reese, where are we going?" I yelped as we flew across the campus. "REESE, you know I need you to help me get to all of my classes!"

At that moment, we skidded to a stop in front of Malcolm and Reese simply said, "Thank you."

"What? Thank you for what?" I asked, puzzled.

"Hi, Stain!"

"Yo, Stain, what's up?" various kids called to Malcolm as they walked by and I smirked.

"Oh, hey. I heard about what happened yesterday. 'Stain'? Tough break."

"Shut up!" Malcolm snapped.

I was sitting on Reese's bed, doodling on a piece of paper while he paced in front of Malcolm. "It's just so exciting to be part of something from the very beginning. Stain. It's classic. It's one of those weird nicknames that will stick with the person forever, because they are so perfect in their cruelty. Hey, you know what's weird? It's actually wiped out my memory of your old name. Is it Marty? Marco? Mergatroy?"

"It's Malcolm," I said and they both stared at me. "Oh. Right."

It was the next day and things were going pretty great. Life was still a living hell for Malcolm, but as for me, I got to spend a lot more time with Reese. But other than Reese, I hadn't really gotten to see much of my friends from last year, like Danny and Alex, and even Cynthia. When I _did_ see her-Alex, not Cynthia-it was a nightmare.

"Just _where_ have you been? You haven't been avoiding me, have you?" Reese and I turned around to see Alex standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Oh. Hi, Alex," I said. "What have you been up to?"

"_What have I been up to?_ Oh, I don't know, just going through the first week of high school without my best friend! I only had Mike and Danny, and Crazy Christine to lean on. I've been _so_ alone!"

"Well, if you've been with Danny and Mike and Christine, then you couldn't have been _that_ alone."

"Ha ha, very funny. Danny's been wanting to know where you are, by the way. He thinks you've disappeared off the face of the earth."

"That's ridiculous. We go to the same school. I live 2 blocks from his house. He has my _phone number_. He must not be _that_ worried about me or he would have tried harder."

"That's not the point! The point _is_ that he's upset that you're not spending any time with your friends."

"If Danny really was upset, then he would have told me. I think it's you that has the problem. You should have just come to find me-this school isn't that big, you know." I couldn't fucking believe it. I was actually standing up to Alex. _Oh My God!_ I thought. _I'm standing up to Alex! Shit! Oh My God, breathe, breathe. You can do this. Don't chicken out!_ My heart pounded in my chest and I squeezed Reese's hand to remind myself that he had my back.

"Yeah, but you're always with _him,_" she snarled, nodding towards Reese.

"'Him' has a name, you know," Reese said, smirking and Alex rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Maybe if I cared, I would remember. But I don't," she turned her attention back to me. "Now come on, Maria. Stop being a whiney litte baby and come with me to say hi to Danny and Christine and Mike."

"No," I said, bravely and Alex's eyes narrowed into little slits.

"What? Why the hell not?"

"Because I'm tired of being pushed around by you. It's always about you want. It's _all_ about Alex, Alex, Alex, and I'm so sick of it. I'm so sick of _you_. Danny and Christine are my friends, too, and I'll say hi to them when I get around to it. And as for you? You _say_ we're best friends, but you're an evil, control-freak, bitch-on-wheels who tries to twist every aspect of my life into how _you_ like it. But it's my life, so back off, bitch!"

"You fucking whore! You're nothing without me!" Alex cried and started to push me, but Reese shot his hand out and stopped her before she could even touch me.

"I don't think so, bitch," he stated and Alex glared at both me and him.

"What are you gonna do? Hide behind your boyfriend?" Alex sneered and I stepped in front of Reese, letting go of his hand.

"Who's hiding?"

"I'll kick your ass!" Alex yelled, but I just smirked at her.

"If there's one thing I've learned about you, it's that you're all talk. You won't do shit to me and we both know it," I said. Alex just glared at me for a while, but then she started backing away.

"I'm all talk, huh? I'll _show you_ how much I can talk. Your reputation will be ruined by tomorrow morning!"

"Reputation shmeputation," I said and then turned around to pat my ass. "Kiss it, baby! Kiss it!"

I turned around to see if Alex was gone-she was-and then bounced up to Reese.

"Oh My God!" I squealed. "Did you see that? I *finally* did it! I finally told that bitch off!"

"I know. You were so cool."

"You think?"

"Yea-Oh My God, is that my mom?" I turned to look in his direction, to see Lois stomping across school grounds, looking ready to breathe fire on anyone who _spoke_ to her.

"What do you think she's doing here?" I asked, and then Lois yelled something about ungrateful husbands and I got my answer. "Reese! We have to warn Stain!" I giggled.

"I mean, Malcolm."

"Come on," he said and grabbed my hand and we ran towards Malcolm.

"Mom's here! Dad got in trouble, Mom is freaking out. Whatever you do, stay out of her way!" Reese cried, and Malcolm got this funny look on his face.

"Oh My God, I know what I'm gonna do."

"What are you talking about?" Cynthia and I asked at the same time.

"I'm gonna get sent to Military School," Malcolm said and then ran off, throwing his backpack to the ground.

"Malcolm...Malcolm!" Cynthia cried, running after him. Reese and I stood by the other kids in the parking lot to watch.

"What do you think he's gonna do?" I asked.

"Hard to say," Reese replied.

"Somebody...quickly...stop him!" Stevie cried.

"For the love of God, your shirt tail's stuck in the door!" Kevin yelled, and then Dabney screamed,

"Take me with you!"

"That Dabney kid scares me," I said. "He's creepy."

"You want me to take care of him for you?" Reese asked, and I blushed.

"No, you don't _have_ to-well, yeah, sure, why not? Fire away. Hey, wait a second! I think-he's gonna crash your Dad's car into your Mom's minivan!" I cried.

"Why?" Reese asked.

"I don't know...unless," I snapped my fingers together. "he wants to get sent to Military School like Francis!"

"Whoa! How'd you figure that out?"

"I didn't, I heard him tell us! Weren't you paying attention?"

"Yeah, sor-noo!" he yelped, and then ran out in front of the car.

"REESE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" I shrieked.

"Stop! I won't let you do this! I'd rather die than be left alone with Mom!" Reese cried.

"Get out of the way!" Malcolm yelled at his brother.

"No! You can run me over, I don't care!" Reese shouted, and when Malcolm started forward, Reese let out a scream and bolted out from in front of the car.

"Malcolm, if you do this..." Cynthia started, searching for something to say. "I will never have sex with you again!" The crowd of kids gasped and immediately started gossipping in hushed tones. Cynthia would be labeled a slut in a matter of minutes.

It was 2 days later-a Friday-when I sat down next to Cynthia during lunch.

"Hey. Remember me?" I asked and she smiled.

"Hi, Maria."

"I just wanted to say that it was totally cool what you did for Malcolm. You're an awesome friend, I mean it-ughh, not that that tool appreciates it. The only thing _he_ cares about is that everyone thinks he had sex. God, sometimes Malcolm can be such a jerk!"

"Yeah, I guess so," she said, shrugging.

"Listen-I dumped Alex, just like you told me to."

"Really?"

"Yepp. And she told everyone that I lost my virginity when I was in the 6th grade and that I give blowjobs and will let guys do creepy stuff to me for money."

"Oh. I'm really sorry."

"Don't be, man! Cuz now that everyone thinks _I'm_ a slut and everyone thinks _you're_ a slut, then we can be sluts together!"

"You are _so_ weird," she said, grinning.

"But the thing is, I don't _give a damn_ if the whole school thinks I'm a slut, because guess who _doesn't_ think I'm a slut? You. And Reese. And Danny, and Christine-well, sort of-and Malcolm and Dewey. And you guys are my _real_ friends, so _your_ opinons are the only ones that I will let myself give a damn about! And you should think that way, too!"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. That's why I said what I said in the first place-to save Malcolm's ass _and_ because I didn't care what people thought about me." I slammed my fist down on the table.

"Right! That's us: 2 SLUTS NOT GIVING A DAMN ABOUT BEING SLUTS. That could be our club name!"

"What club?"

"The club where we give guys blowjobs for money! Mwuahahahaha!" I grinned at her. "Just kidding."

"Oh! Right!" she said, and started to laugh.

"Yeah. So do you want to sleep over tonight? I'm a loser, so of course I have no plans. Do you?"

"No. And it sounds like fun!"

"Cool. I'll give you my address," I said, whipping out a piece of paper and pen to write it down, along with my phone number.

_~When a girl is QUIET, a million things are running through her MIND.~_


	14. Family Reunion

_**Family Reunion**_

I bounced up to the Wilkerson's driveway, expecting it to be empty as usual, but instead Hal and Lois were putting suitcase after suitcase in the trunk, with Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and who I assumed to be Francis and his wife, Piama (Reese told me all about that) in the car. I knocked on the window and everyone looked over at me.

"Maria! What are you doing here?" Reese asked me.

"I got bored. Where's everybody going?" I asked.

"Family reunion," Lois explained, bustling around behind me. "For their father."

"Oh. Sounds fun, I guess."

"Oh, God!" Lois moaned and then glanced at me. "Do you want to come? I could really use the extra support with..." she trailed off.

"Really? You want me to come?"

"Yes!"

"But I'm not a part of the family."

"Not yet," Lois said and winked at Reese, who groaned from inside the car. "and you might as well be! You're here everyday as it is."

"Well...I'll have to ask my mom, but that sounds fun!" I cried and took out my cell phone to dial my mom's cell.

"Hi, Mom," I said, stepping away from the car so I could talk to her in private. "Did I happen to mention how cool it was of you to let me date Reese again? Seriously, I love you _so_ freaking mu-"

"What do you want?" she asked, impatiently.

"To spend the weekend with the Wilkerson's. They invited me to go to a family reunion with them and I really want to go."

"A family reunion? They already consider you a part of the _family?_"

"I guess. So can I go?"

"Will there be adult supervision?"

"No, Mom. All of the adults in their family disappeared off the face of the earth," I said, sarcastically.

"Don't get smart. But yes, if there are going to be adults around, I suppose you can go."

"Thanks, Mom! I'll see you Sunday!" I cried and hung up, then made my way back over to the car. "I can go. But shouldn't I get a bag packed?"

"Oh! Yes! Run home and we'll pick you up in 10 minutes!" Lois said and I nodded and then turned and ran down the street.

It was exactly 10 minutes later and I had my bag completely packed, including a nice outfit for the family portrait that Reese had to call me last minute to tell me about. Typical.

The Wilkerson's pulled up in their van and I ran out to meet them, putting my bag in the trunk and sharing a seatbelt with Reese.

"Hey, you must be Francis," I said, tapping him on the shoulder. "I'm Maria, Reese's girlfriend. He told me _all_ about you and I've been _so_ excited to meet you."

"Well, hey, thanks. Maria, this is my wife, Piama." I smiled at her and she smiled back. Francis winked at me and gestured to Reese. "You keeping him in line?"

"Bet your ass I am," I said, giggling and then we were off.

"So what's Grandpa like?" Dewey asked.

"He's okay," Malcolm said. "but the rest of the family treats Mom like crap. They're jerks!"

"Oh, look what I have to look forward to," I said, sarcastically.

"But they're _rich_ jerks," Reese added, and then looked at Dewey. "And Grandpa's the richest of them all. And he loves kids! Just say and do what I tell you, and we'll be set for life."

"You're nuts!" Malcolm cried.

"Look, it's too late for you and me. But Dewey's still cute and adorable! Although we _do_ have a narrow window to work with: in a year, you're gonna look like a freak!"

"Aww. Poor Dewey," I said.

"I'm sorry you're so cramped, Piama. This van really isn't designed to carry 8 people," Lois said from up front.

"Oh, I guess I was thrown off by the 7 seats and the 7 seatbelts-" Piama started, but Hal nervously cut her off.

"Hey, Francis, how's that ranch job treating you?"

"Oh, great! Never a dull moment. In fact, last week I got to castrate a bull calf," Francis said.

"What does castrate mean?" Dewey asked.

"Ask your mother," Piama replied and I tried not to snicker.

"Well, I have always wanted to know how to...castratee a bull calf. Why don't you tell us about it?" Hal asked.

"It's _fascinating!_ We use this tool called a bergeezo (sp?) and a giant pair of pliers, and the cow has to be restrained, so that it doesn't kick..."

*AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER*

"...so once you cut off their blood supply, shrivel up and are replaced by fat tissue!" Francis finished, proudly.

"Wow, what a _great_ story, Francis! You only made the last hour and a half _fly_ by!" Hal said as everyone got out of the car: we were here. Hal and Lois were talking to a man and a woman while Francis and Piama, and the rest of the kids unpacked the stuff.

"Who are they talking to?" I asked, nodding to the four adults.

"Oh, that's our Aunt Claire and Uncle Tom-Dad's siblings," Francis explained.

"Oh," I said and then murmured to Reese, "I'm nervous. What if they don't like me?"

"You'll be fine," he reassured me and I smiled.

"Okay."

We followed Hal and Lois into the backyard-a _huge_ backyard with a pool and statues and hedges and everything. It was _so_ cool.

"Wow!" Dewey cried, and I nodded. Wow was right.

"Hi, Dad!" Hal cried, waving, as we made our way towards the pool. An older man in a snorkel turned around and said,

"Hal! You made it! Anybody help an old man out of the pool?" Reese started forward, but Hal held him back.

"I got you, Grandpa," Francis said, walking up to his grandfather in the pool and extending his hand. His grandfather hoisted him into the pool (it sorta looked like he half-jumped, but maybe that's just me) and the kids moaned because their grandpa had to get out of the pool.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you think that guy is for? His name is Francis. Be careful, you don't get another one!" their grandfather cried and the kids tackled Francis.

"Ohhh, oh, the one and all!" their grandpa said, playing a sissy fight with Hal, and then gave Lois a kiss on the cheek. "Aah, Lois." He skipped me and Reese and went straight to Dewey. "Dewey! My goodness, you've grown! I bet you don't even remember me." Dewey glanced over at Reese, who gave him a nod, and then Dewey said,

"Yes, I do. You swang to me when I was sweepin'."

"You remember that? Why, that's adorable!" their grandpa cried.

"Well, it's so good to see you, Dad. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about coming back here after so much time has gone by, I expected-" Hal started.

"You expected car trouble? Cuz I think you packed a spare tire!" their grandpa cried, tickling Hal and he laughed and writhed away from his father's touch.

"Ah, Malcolm, I understand they finally figured out you're a genius," their grandpa said, moving on to Malcolm. "What's your favorite subject in school?"

"I don't know, history?" Malcolm said.

"History, is it? What do you think about the Civil War?"

"I guess it's kinda interesting."

"Ooh, have I got something to show you!" their grandpa cried, dragging Malcolm inside.

"There you are!" a woman cried, walking up to Hal and Lois with a man at her side.

"Hi, Amelia!" Lois said, happily.

"I swear, this reunion is going to be the death of me. Feeding this many people everyday, trying to keep track of all the kids. I swear, I had to run the croqasian

(sp?) room all by myself!" the lady ranted, sticking a name tag on Lois's shirt. "Tomorrow we've got a pancake breakfast and a family portriat at 3, dinner at 5, and gifts at 6 with _no one_ to take charge but me! This is what General Dortschroff (sp?) must've felt like during Desert Storm!" the lady turned on her heel and waltzed out of there, with the man on her heels.

"God, what a bitch!" I whispered to Reese, but he and Dewey were gone. Damn boys. I wandered around the pool for a while before finding 2 girls who looked my age.

"Hi, I'm Maria," I said, shyly and they just stared at me. One was blonde and the other a redhead and both extremely pretty. _Prettier than me,_ I couldn't help thinking.

"I'm Amy," the blonde said, cautiously, like if she made the wrong move I would bite her head off. "and this is my sister, Pamela."

"Hi," I said.

"So...why are you here?" Pamela asked, chewing her gum, loudly.

"I'm Reese's girlfriend and Lois invited me to come."

"_Lois?_ Ha! No wonder!"

"What?"

"God, what are you even doing here? You're not a part of this family! You're such a slut!" Amy cried and I froze.

I already had kids at school calling me a slut because of Alex. And I know I made this big, speech thingy about not caring, but it _did_ bug me...a teensy bit.

"I-"

"You're _so_ pathetic!" Pamela said, before she and Amy walked off, laughing. The whole rest of the day I walked around all sad in a weird, gloomy funk and Amy and Pamela kept walking by me and coughing,

"Slut!"

By the time it was time to go to bed, I was almost in tears. But then I saw Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey all laying down to go to bed and I walked over to them, insantly feeling better.

"We did some good work today," Reese said as I laid down in between him and Dewey. "Tomorrow we'll hit Grandpa with a good Lollipop number right after breakfast."

"I wanna swim in the pool!" Dewey pouted and Reese replied,

"You can swim in the pool when we own the pool. Nice angle you're working with Grandpa, Malcolm. I have to admit, you're getting a lot of face time, but when he croaks, all he's gonna leave you is that stupid Civil War crap."

"Reese-" Malcolm started, but Reese cut him off:

"You can have it, but I want it out of the house." He started to lay down when these two younger kids came stomping up to us.

"Back off Grandpa," the older one said. "He's ours!"

"What?" Reese asked.

"We've been working this guy for 3 years! And we're not about to let _you_ waltz in here and snake him out from under us!"

"What are you saying?" Dewey cried.

"It's a big house. Accidents happen," the younger one said and Reese and Dewey's eyes widened as I grabbed onto Reese's hand.

It was later that night and Malcolm and Dewey were fast asleep. I thought Reese was asleep, too, but he rolled over and started kissing my neck.

"Reese, not here," I whispered. "Your brothers are 2 inches away."

"Aren't they sleeping?" he asked.

"That's not the point."

"What _is_ the point?"

"We're gonna get caught."

"Then let's go someplace where we won't get caught."

"Reese, no. I'm not in the mood."

"Why not?"

"I'm just not, okay?" I snapped and he frowned at me.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just...nothing," I murmured, shyly.

"Tell me," Reese pushed, and slid his hand under the covers to touch my hip.

"Some of your bitchy-ass cousins keep calling me a slut. And I don't want to give them any reason to _keep_ calling me a slut."

"Bitchy-ass cousins? Ohhh, Amy and Pamela."

"Yepp."

"Well, don't listen to 'em. Who cares what they think? We're leaving tomorrow, anyway."

"Yeah, I guess so. Thanks, baby," I said, and leaned up to kiss him.

"SLUT!" someone cried and both of us looked up to see Amy and Pamela smirking at us from across the room. I leaned up and gave them the finger, and then kissed Reese

again.

It was the next day, and Reese, Dewey, and I were signing our names on the gigantic birthday cards. And after we did that, we were sabataging (sp?) everyone else's.

For example, Reese put: 'P.S. I hope you die!' under Trevor's signature and added: 'your money!' after 'I love you.' I, on the other hand, was sabataging (sp?) Amy

and Pamela's signatures.

"Nice touch with the backwards E! You've got a real gift for this butt-kissing stuff. We are so in!" Reese cried.

"What do you mean 'we'?" Dewey asked, and I giggled.

"Hey, slut! What makes you think you can sign our Grandpa's birthday card?" Reese, Dewey, and I turned around. Amy and Pamela were smirking at me with their hands on

their hips. I rolled my eyes.

"Go get a life, bitch, and quit bugging me," I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"We're not afraid of you. You're a skank," Pamela said, and I stepped towards them, balling my right hand into a fist.

"Call me a slut one more time," I growled, angrily.

"SLUUUUT!" Amy cried, smirking. I glared at her, and the brought my fist back before punching her neatly in the nose.

"Oh My _God!_" Pamela cried as Amy dropped like a leaf.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Amy shrieked, covering her face as Pamela tried to help her get up off the ground.

"This is what happens when you fuck with me, bitches!" I called after them and felt an adreniline rush soar throughout my body. First Alex and now Amy? I felt like I could do anything, stand up to anyone. I was invincible.

"Oh My God!" Reese and Dewey cried and I turned around to look at them.

"THAT WAS SO COOL!" Dewey screamed and ran up to give me a big hug.

"You were such a badass!" Reese agreed. "I've never loved you more than I do right now." I blushed.

"Aww, you guys, it wasn't that big a deal."

"YEAH, IT WAS!" They both shouted and I giggled, and then flexed my fingers.

"Hey, did you know it hurts your hand when you punch someone in the face? Cuz it does!"

I was standing with the Wilkerson's for the family portrait, wearing a short, black dress and black heels.

"Okay, everybody, big smiles. Cheese on 3: 1, 2, 3-" the photographer said and the entire family yelled, "CHEEESE!". Reese intertwined his fingers with mine just as the picture was taken. "Okay, let me get one more real quick."

"CHEEESE!"

"Excellent, thank you, everybody!" the photographer said and everyone spread out.

"Hey, isn't that your mom?" I asked Reese, pointing and we followed Malcolm, Dewey, Hal, Francis, and Piama as they made their way over to Lois.

"Lois, where were you?" Hal cried and she turned on her heel and walked into the house. We all mindlessly followed her until she walked straight into a closet and shut and locked the door. Everything was quiet for a moment before we heard Lois's soft sobs coming from the other side of the door. Hal stormed out, angrily and I was frozen. I didn't know what the hell I was supposed to do. What _any_ of us were supposed to do.

"Hey, is Lois gonna help with the salad?" their Aunt Claire asked and we all turned around.

"God, more drama from that woman," Amelia said when they heard Lois crying and my jaw dropped. Bitch! The two women left and Francis, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey marched out of the room. Piama and I looked at each other for a moment and then ran after them.

"What are you gonna do?" Piama asked.

"We don't know," Francis replied. "We never know."

Piama and I stood by to watch while Francis, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey tore across the lawn in a golf cart. The table where everyone was eating at collapsed as they ran over it with a golf cart, and people jumped out of their way, screaming. They grabbed the tablecloth, having it drag behind them as they raced across the grass.

Piama and I watched, smiling in amazement and awe. They swerved, knocking over a Civil War statue and drove straight into the swimming pool.

"I _love_ dating a Wilkerson," I said, and Piama nodded in agreement.

"Me too!"

I was back in the car, smushed in between a soaking wet Reese and Dewey. We had to leave there pretty fast-the entire family was _majorly_ pissed about the golf cart thing. And plus, Amy and Pamela told Amelia (their mom) about how I punched Amy in the face and let's just say that I'm probably not welcomed back.

"I am so _very_ disappointed...in all of you!" Lois cried. "I don't care what those people did-that was _no_ way for you to behave! Right, Hal?"

"Yes! You boys are on notice! If you _ever_ drive a golf cart over a catered dinner and into a swimming pool again, there will be consequences! _Dire_ consequences!" Hal agreed.

"Guess we just kissed off our 6-figured trust fund," Reese pouted.

"I told Grandpa you tied me to the golf cart," Dewey said.

"What? He still likes you...nice! We're back in the game!"

"Yeah!" Dewey said, sarcastically and I laughed.

"Oh! Piama, is that too much air on you?" Lois asked and Reese, Dewey, Malcolm, and I all looked at each other in confusion.

"No!" Piama cried.

"Reese, your family is so strange," I whispered. "but I love it."

_~i'm so in love with you.~_


	15. Forwards Backwards

_**Forwards Backwards**_

"I love you," Reese whispered, brushing a lock of hair out of my face. We had ditched school and were naked in his bed. We had already had sex, and now we were just...naked. He had his arms wrapped around me and they met at the small of my back.

"I love you, too," I said and kissed him, letting it linger for a long time. "I wish we could stay like this forever." He checked his watch: 12:36 P.M.

"Well, we have until 3:00, when Dewey gets home. Is that close enough?" Reese replied and I smiled.

"Yeah." He kissed me again and my eyes fluttered shut. Nothing, and I mean _nothing_ could ruin this moment.

My eyes flew open and my heart thudded in my chest. I was wrong.

"What's wrong?" Reese asked, leaning back and I gulped.

"Umm...it's nothing. It's-it's no big deal," I lied, nervously and Reese sat up.

"Maria, you're a really bad liar. Just tell me."

"I-I might have...forgotten to take my birth control pill last night," I admitted and Reese went pale.

"You...you...what?" he stammered.

"It's no big deal, Reese," I lied. "I'll take care of it."

"How?"

"I'll go buy a pregnancy test next week and we'll move on from there."

"Do you even know where to go to get a pregnancy test?" he asked, shakily.

"Yeah. I'll have Cynthia go with me, or Katherine. Maybe both. I'll be okay."

"Okay," Reese said and kissed me. I gently pushed him away.

"I don't want to risk anything," I said. "and I'm really not in the mood anymore. Maybe I should just go home."

"Isn't your mom home during the day now?" Jim had proposed to my mom and she said yes, so him, Katherine, and Dominick all moved down here and since Jim made really good money on his new job, my mom didn't have to work anymore.

"Oh yeah."

"Look, why don't you just stay here? We don't have to _do_ anything if you don't want." I thought for a moment, and then nodded.

"Okay."

I was sitting in front of the school while Reese slept next to me, IMing Cynthia from my phone:

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) dudee, i RLY need to talk to u. NOW!

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) ok, ok, what is it?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i need u to come to buy something with me and katherine this weekend.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) *thats* what was so important? that u want me to go shopping with u?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) no, not shopping!

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) promise u wont tell anyone?

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) i promise! now tell me!

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i need u to go buy a pregnancy test with me and katherine.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) for u or katherine?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) :/

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) maria! omg! u mite b *pregnant*?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) ya.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) how did this happen?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i forgot to take one of my birth-control pills. now will u *plz* come with me?

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) yea, yea, whatever. dus reese know?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) yepp.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) and...?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) and...what? we're going to wait until after i get the results of the test back b4 rly doing anything about it and were not going to have sex at all this week. just in case.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) wow, hes actually gonna help u raise the kid?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) OF COURSE HE IS!

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) and thats *if* there is a kid to raise!

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) sorry.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) dus katherine know?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) no, not yet but i know she'll go with me. but if she doesnt, will u?

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) of course.

"Wake up!" Malcolm snapped, poking Reese with his foot and I quickly sent,

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) g2g, ttyl

"What do _you_ want?" Reese asked, annoyed.

"I just wanted to let you know that you're _not_ getting last licks!"

"Huh?" Reese said.

"Reese, what is he talking about?" I asked, and he shrugged.

"I don't know!"

"I'm sick of you always having an edge just because you're an idiot and I'm smart and understand about consequences! I can be just as vicioius and short-sighted as you!" Malcolm threatened.

"Oh yeah, I'm really scared. Why don't you just-" Reese started, and then realized that his arm was glued to his forehead. He stood up and tried to yank it off, but

just yelped in pain. "What'd you do?"

"I sunk to _your_ level," Malcolm replied, holding up a small tube of superglue. "and I have to say, it feels good." Reese tried to yank his arm off his forehead again and then ran away, yelling, "Ow!"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed up his backpack before heading in the other direction. This could get ugly.

"Maria! Look at this!" Reese cried, shoving a flyer in my face.

"What's this?" I asked, unfolding it.

"My way to get back at Malcolm. Just look!" There was a picture of a toddler-age Malcolm on a portable potty and the caption was: MALCOLM FLOATS AN IDEA. I giggled.

"_You_ did this?"

"Yepp," Reese said and grabbed my hand, dragging me behind him as we approached Malcolm and Stevie. Malcolm looked mortified.

"If you can be vicious, I can be smart," Reese said with a smirk.

"How many copies did you make?" Malcolm cried.

"I don't know. How many copies are there in a pack of 500 sheets?" Reese asked, grinning.

"This is over, Reese!" Malcolm yelled, grabbing sheets from the lockers.

"I don't know why you're so upset! Look at you going like a big boy!" Reese taunted.

"Here," Reese said, handing me $7.00.

"What's this for?" I said, shuffling the money around in my hand.

"I looked up online how much pregnancy tests cost. So, there."

"Oh. Thanks, Reese," I said, slipping the money into my back pocket.

"Did you find anyone to go with you yet?"

"Yeah, Cynthia said she would go and I'm gonna ask Katherine today. I'm buying the test on Saturday and I'll let you know as soon as I find out."

"Okay, good."

"Hey, where'd you get this money, anyway? I thought you were broke," I said and a grin spread across Reese's face.

"It's Malcolm's birthday money. I stole it to get back at him for...umm...never mind. The point is, he's gonna pay!"

"Umm...okay, tell me how that goes. I have to get to class, so..." he cut me off by kissing me. "...bye." I blushed before turning and walking in the other direction.

"Katherine, I have to talk to you," I said, setting my backpack down on the chair. "Is Mom home?"

"No. She went to pick up Graham and Dominick," she said, flipping the page in her magazine. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"I need you to come with me and Cynthia to buy a pregnancy test," I blurted out and she stared at me. She snapped her head up to look at me and her eyes widened.

"How did you know I needed to go buy a pregnancy test? Did you read my diary?" she screamed and I froze.

"Wait a minute, _you_ need to go buy a pregnancy test, too?'" I cried, and she stared at me.

"Too? Oh My God, Maria, you might be pregnant?"

"_You_ might be pregnant, too?" I asked and then frowned. "Man, this is too creepy."

_~we were meant to be together. so whatever it takes 33~_


	16. Boys at Ranch

_**Boys at Ranch**_

It was Saturday that same week, around noon, when Cynthia, Katherine, and I walked into the drug store.

"Are you guys ready?" Cynthia asked, and I nodded, numbly. I suddenly felt light-headed and was reminded me of the night Reese and I first had sex, in Jenny Moore's parents' bedroom while we were both falling-over drunk. Aah, memories.

"No!" Katherine snapped, angrily. "Stupid Sam got out of this relationship as soon as he heard the word, 'pregnant.' What a fucking pussy." To fill the awkward moment, Cynthia turned to me and asked,

"Where's Reese?"

"He and his family went to Francis's dude ranch over the weekend, but I'm supposed to call him as soon as I get the results." Cynthia nodded.

"Okay." I went around to the back of the store and plucked 2 pregnancy tests off the shelf, and then laid them down on the counter. I glanced back and saw that

Katherine hadn't come up to the counter with me. Bitch...

I slid the $7.00 that Reese gave me across the counter and glanced back at Katherine. She rolled her eyes and then stomped up to the counter and slammed down her money.

"You happy?" she growled before snatching up her pregnancy test and stalking towards the door.

"Don't worry, Kat, you can't be pregnant-you're obviously PMSing!" I called after her and she flipped me off before slamming the door shut and stomping towards her

car.

I was back at my house with Katherine and Cynthia had gone home after I told her my results. Right now I had the phone pressed to my ear and I was waiting, patiently

for someone to answer.

"Hello?" It was Francis.

"Francis! Hi! It's Maria. Do you remember me?"

"You're Reese's girlfriend, right?"

"The one and only."

"Well, Reese is grounded, so you can't talk to him. Sorry."

"Oh crap. What did Hal catch him doing this time?"

"Actually...it was me that grounded him. All 3 of them."

"Shit. What happened?" I listened, patiently as Francis explained all the crazy antics that Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey had been up to.

"Aww, that sucks. I'm sorry, Francis. But I _really_ need to talk to Reese. It's important."

"Sorry, kiddo, he's grounded."

"Well..." I sighed. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure, I guess. What's up?"

"I need you to pass on a message to Reese, but you can't tell _anyone,_ especially Hal and Lois. Well, I guess you could tell Piama...but make her promise, too!"

"Okay, okay, I promise!" Francis cried, laughing. "Just tell me."

I took a deep breath. "Can you tell Reese that I'm not pregnant?" At first Francis didn't say anything, and I held my breath.

"Oh My God! You thought you were pregnant? How did this happen?" Francis cried.

"Shh!" I begged, knowing that half the people at the ranch probably heard him. "And I accidentally forgot to take a birth-control pill, but it was nothing! We're gonna be _extra_ careful now!"

"Whoa...Reese is having sex? Alright, buddy!" Francis said, and I giggled.

"I'm so glad that I can tell someone who won't completely freak on me."

"Yeah, no problem. I'll tell Reese as soon as I get off the phone and I'll make sure Malcolm and Dewey don't hear."

"Yes! Thank you!"

"No problem, kiddo. I'm gonna go now, so I can tell Reese."

"Okay. Bye, Francis. Thanks a bunch," I said and hung up. I felt like a huge load had been lifted off my shoulders, knowing that I wasn't pregnant. The past week had been _hell_.

I glanced at Katherine's shut bedroom door (actually, the bedroom that her and I shared). She hadn't been so lucky. I _wasn't_ pregnant, and even if I had been, Reese would have stuck around. Katherine, on the other hand, had a tiny person growing inside of her and no father to help her out. _And_ she had to face telling her dad and my mom.

I hopped off the counter and opened the door. Katherine was sitting on her bed with her knees pulled up to her chest.

"You okay?" I asked and she looked up at me.

"No."

"I know this isn't the most senstitive thing to ask right now, but..."

"I won't tell Dad and Diane that you thought you were pregnant. _Someone_ deserves to be happy right now." I gave her a small smile.

"Thanks.

_~Promise that you won't break my heart. Promise me that and I won't make you hurt.~_


	17. If Boys Were Girls

_**If Boys Were Girls**_

"You're _pregnant?_ How could you be _pregnant?_" Jim screamed at Katherine from the kitchen. Ben, Graham and Dominick, and I were all sent to our rooms, but we couldstill hear all the yelling.

"How could you be so irresponsible?" my mom cried and I shuddered thinking that could be me. I glanced at the calendar: February 13th. My stomach bubbled with excitement just thinking about tomorrow. Reese said he had something special planned for Valentine's Day/You're Not Pregnant! Day (a made up holiday, obviously).

I sighed as I heard Jim and my mom continue to scream at Katherine while she yelled back at them through her tears. It was _so_ hard being a girl-we get periods and pregnancy and the pain that goes along with each. Sometimes I just wished I could be a guy. I wonder what that would be like?

_It's time for a trip to how things _shouldn't_ be. Katherine and I are disgusting, loud-mouthed boys named Mark and Kyle while Ben, Graham, and Dominick were snotty, opinionated girls named Bella, Grace, and Danielle._

_"Mark! Kyle! Dinner!" my mom called from the kitchen and Kyle and I glanced at each other and rolled our eyes. We got up from our places on the bed and stomped into the kitchen. Bella had her hair up and was picking at her meal, probably thinking about her dirtbag boyfriend, Kenny who encouraged her to starve herself so much that her insides shriveled away so that she would look good enough for him. Grace and Danielle were in cute matching pigtails and overalls, but were arguing loudly over who got the next turn with the doll._

_Kyle and I plopped down in our seats and I started to wolf down my dinner, but then looked disgustedly up at my mom._

_"You call this dinner? I'm not eating this crap!" I cried._

_"Hey! Don't talk to your mother like that!" Jim snapped, slamming his fist down on the table making Kyle stop halfway through scarfing down his dinner-God knows what it is-, Bella to look up from her un-touched plate, and Grace and Danielle to stop arguing for a minute to stare at Jim. Everyone was silent._

_"Now, now, Jim, it's fine. And it _certainly_ isn't my best meal. I was in a hurry," Mom said, quickly. "And my boy needs his protein."_

_"Why do you let these kids push you around like that, Diane?" Jim yelled and everything burst into chaos again. Jim was screaming at my mom while she muttered excuses through her tears, Grace and Danielle were shrieking at each other in their bratty 5 and 6-year-old little girl voices, Kyle was sucking up the rest of his food-and the rest of mine and Bella's-like a vacuum, and Bella let out a wail before running her skeleton-like body to her room._

_"God, what a fucked-up family," I muttered before getting up and grabbing the keys off the counter. I had just got my learner's permit last month._

_"I'm going to Renee's!" I called over my shoulder before heading out the door and getting into my mom's crappy car. I squinted through the darkness, trying to find the right house number. It was February, so the nights rolled around a lot faster than usual._

_I pulled into Renee's driveway and rang the doorbell. I shifted my weight from one foot to the other as I waited. _God, where the hell is she?_ I thought, and then the door opened, but it wasn't Renee-it was her little sister, Daisy._

_"Hi, Mark!" she chirped, and then called over her shoulder, "Renee! Mark's here!" Renee appeared at the door in seconds._

_"Great! Hey, Mark. Daisy-move!" she cried, shoving past her little sister and out the door, grabbing me by the hand._

_"I'll be back by curfew!" she called over her shoulder before dragging me to the car._

_I kissed Renee's neck and thrusted, gently as we laid on the grass next to the creek._

_"Oh, Mark," she moaned and I grinned._

_"I'm so glad you're not pregnant," I murmured into her hair and she sighed out of pleasure._

_"Me too," she gasped and suddenly I remembered. Valentine's Day was tomorrow. And I didn't have anything planned. Shit!_

Oh well, I'll think of something later. Or I'll just wing it like I usually do,_ I thought and then pushed all of the negative thoughts-or any thoughts at all-out of my head so I could concentrate on the activity at hand._

Damn. A world where Jim's mean and my mom's nice, and everything's in reverse. _Definitely_ how it shouldn't be.

It was the next day, Valentine's Day, and I was sitting on the couch, watching Spongebob Squarepants when the doorbell rang. I shot up from off the couch and raced towards the door.

"It's probably Reese!" I yelled, so that no one else would come to the door. I fixed my hair real quick before opening the door.

"Hi, Reese," I said, smiling and he grinned back at me.

"You ready to go?"

"Yepp," I replied and shut the door before we walked to his (dad's) car.

"So, where are we going?" I asked once we were in the car and driving on the road.

"I'm not telling," Reese said, but he looked worried and I groaned.

"You have no idea where you're going, do you?"

"No! I do! Really!"

"Then tell me."

"It's a surpise."

"_Reese!_" I cried and he groaned.

"Alright. I don't have anything special planned, but you were so excited about Valentine's Day and...and you know what happens when I talk!" he moaned.

"Well, did you get me anything?" I asked, trying to hide the disappointment in my voice and failing.

"Umm...yeah," he said, pulling the car over to the side of the road and reached to fish something out of the back of the car. He pulled up a rose and a box of heart-shaped candy-the traditional Valentine's Day gift.

"Aww, thanks, Reese," I said and gave him a thank-you kiss. "So what do you want to do today?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. You?" I frowned and looked around, trying to search for an idea. "We could..."

We ended up just going back to his house and watching a scary movie. Kind of a weird thing to do for Valentine's Day, but who cares?

"So, Katherine's pregnant, too?" Reese asked in disbelief.

"And your mom, too! This is _insane!_ Are we the only ones who got lucky?" I cried.

"Yeah, I guess so. And Thank God, too."

"I know. It's so scary to think about..." I said, and laid my head on his shoulder. Something popped out on the TV screen and I jumped and grabbed Reese's hand. "Shit."

_~I will love you forever as long as you do with me.~_


	18. Garage Sale

_**Garage Sale**_

"Reese, that's a great idea you're probably having to help that lady who's trying to buy something," Lois said, gesturing to a woman behind him.

"Yeah, okay," Reese said and then walked up to her. "Can I help you?"

"How much for the vacuum?"

"That's a set! You can only buy that if you buy the lamp.

"But I don't need a lamp."

"Then you don't need a vacuum!" Reese cried, taking the vacuum and turning towards his mother: "She'll be back. And the lamp isn't going without the blender."

"You've obvioiusly put a lot of thought into this," Lois said with a forced smile. "Where the heck does your father keep disappearing to?"

"Hi, can you help me find something?" I asked, tapping Reese on the shoulder and he turned around.

"Oh, hey, Maria," he said and kissed me. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were having a garage sale, so I thought I'd stop by. Who's in charge?"

"I am. Here, watch this."

"Thank you very much," Reese said, giving a lady a piggy bank and she walked off.

"That was my piggy bank! It was in my room!" Dewey cried.

"Relax, dipwad, i got $2.00 for it," Reese said.

"It had $16.00 in it!" Dewey shrieked.

"Oh, waah-waah! Spilt milk!"

"Very nicely handled," I said, smirking as Dewey ran up to his mother.

"Shut up!" he cried, and then frowned. "What's going on over there?" He stomped up to Malcolm.

"Malcolm, what are you doing with that? I ordered you to throw this away!" he yelled, trying to grab it from Malcolm.

"What _is_ it?" I asked.

"Get off me, you idiot!" Malcolm yelled as they played Tug-o-War with it.

"Give it!" Reese yelled.

"No!" Malcolm shouted.

"Let go!"

"Reese, you stupid jackass, you don't even know what you're doing!"

"Now that's _enough_ outta you!" Lois cried, stomping up to them. "Are you really so insecure that you can't stand anyone else getting any attention? Your brother has worked so hard to make this yard sale a success, he doesn't need _you_ undermining him at every turn!"

"Mom, you have to listen to me!" Malcolm argued. "We have a Nortear 680, it's a type of computer that was built in 1976. There's only a few in existence and Craig is gonna give us $1300 for it!"

"Whoa," I said.

"$1300? Oh My God!" Lois cried.

There was a loud, splintering crack as Reese smashed the computer with his leg.

"Reese, no!" I cried, but it was too late.

"What are you _doing?_" Lois yelled.

"I have a lot of things to sell, and I don't have time to argue with this bozo! I've got a jet-ski on hold and the store closes at 6:00."

"What are you talking about?"

"I'm buying a jet-ski with my yard-sale money."

"That money isn't yours! It's going to re-build our bedroom wall!"

"But _you_ said I was in charge! That means _I_ get the money!"

"No, it doesn't!"

"Then why the hell would I want to be in charge?"

"Reese, this is helping you become a better person by building your self-esteem, which you are obviously going to need, if you are _stupid_ enough to throw away $1300 that this family desperately needs!"

A car skid to a stop in front of their house and Craig ran out, crying, "I am un-cooperating! I've never met this man before! He's the constitution! I hate free speech!"

"What on earth?" Lois asked as Hal came running out with a radio set and men in black suits behind him.

"Warning, sir! Running will just add $80 to your fine!" one of the men running after him, yelled.

"Reese, you're not hopeless," I reassured him into the phone as I pulled into the driveway (I told you, I got my learner's permit last month). "You could be anything if you really tried. You could be the President!"

"Yeah, right. And anyways, that's Malcolm's job."

"Oh yeah. But with the President as your brother, I bet Malcolm could get you a job to clean his pool or as a gourmet chef or something!"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Bye. I love you."

"Love you, too."

I hung up my cell phone and walked though the front door of my house to see Katherine eating a bowl of cereal at the kitchen table, in her pajamas.

"Hey, Kat," I said as I walked by her to go get a 7-UP out of the fridge.

"Hi," she grumbled. "God, Maria, you're so lucky you aren't pregnant."

"Yeah. So, umm...how far along are you?"

"I don't know. About a month?"

"Oh," I said and counted the months on my fingers. The baby should be born around Thanksgiving.

"You're not gonna have an abortion, are you?" I blurted out and she stared at me.

"No, you moron, I'm not."

"But-"

"Maria, go away," she said, rolling her eyes.

_~MY HEART WILL ALWAYS BE WITH YOU.~_


	19. Reese's Party

_**Reese's Party**_

"Hello, ma'am? This is Mel Jenkins, with Transway Bus Lines. I don't know how to tell you this. I was keeping an eye on your son for ya', like you asked, but when we got out on the Interstate, he went into the bathroom and-well, he must have jumped out the window while we were moving. I'd gone 60 miles before I noticed!" a man on the phone said, and Reese shoved the phone at me.

"No!" I hissed.

"Yes!" he begged.

"No, Reese!"

"Yes!"

"No-" I started, but then grabbed the phone from him, and did my best snooty mom voice: "What? How could you do this to my favorite son? The only one I ever loved is now lying in a ditch somewhere! Well, I'd better call the coffin store! Goodbye!" I slammed the phone down on the receiver and rolled my eyes at him.

"I can't believe you suckered me into doing that for you."

"Thank you _so_ much, I love you!" Reese cried, before adjusting a flyer on the kitchen table: GIANT PAR-TAY TONIGHT! 12334 Maple Rd; 8:00 P.M.

"Oh My God," I said, rolling my eyes and then Malcolm cried,

"I knew it! I knew if I came back here, I'd catch you here! You can't be trusted for 5 seconds, let alone a whole weekend."

"Oh My God, Malcolm! I never even heard you!" I cried.

"Okay, look," Reese said. "just don't tell-wait a minute. What are *you* doing here?"

"Me? I'm here to...guard the house from...your bad things you're doing!"

"What's in the bag?" Reese asked, before digging through it. "Candles? Chocolate-covered strawberries? Sleepless in Seattle?"

"Aww," I said. Little Malcolm had a date.

"Oh My God, you're gay!" Reese cried.

"No, I'm not! I don't know how I did it, but I talked Kathy McKolsky into coming over tonight!"

"Kathy McKolsky? I'm impressed. She doesn't leave her house for anything less than 2nd base!"

"Which is _exactly_ why we need the house to ourselves!"

"I'm sorry, Malcolm, but I'm already committed to this party!"

"Reese, you've seen enough teenage movies to know how _badly_ this is gonna turn out!"

"I haven't just seen them, I've studied them. And I fuound out the fatal flaw. In every one of those movies, the party was on a Saturday night. Mine: Friday. This gives me an extra day to refill the pool, replace the crystal thing, turn back the Odometer, and put the dead bodies back in the ground!"

"Yeah, Malcolm, it'll be fine!" Just relax!" I said, hopping up onto the counter. "Whoa, wait, dead bodies?" Reese just shrugged.

"Please don't do this to me!" Malcolm moaned.

"Tell you what, Malcolm. I'll try to keep the front room closet off-limits as long as I can," Reese said.

Reese and I were putting up his flyers for the party all around the neighborhood.

"Hey! You guys want to come to a party at my house? It's gonna be amazing. My parents are gone for the whole weekend," Reese said to a bunch of guys crossing the

street.

"Reese! What are you doing?" I whispered.

"Relax," he murmured back.

"The whole weekend?" one of the guys asked.

"You heard me! A whole 48 hours-totally unsupervised. Anything goes. Total freedom, man."

"I still don't think this is a good idea!" I hissed in his ear.

"Interesting," the guy said.

"This'll do," the guy said, standing in Reese's garage.

"What's this junk? What is going on?" Reese cried as a bunch of guys-and a few girls-started loading his garage with crap (not literally). I was clinging to Reese's hand, trying to avoid contact with any of the creepy rapist, older guys.

"Here's what's gonna happen. We have some private business to conduct. This is now our garage for the next 48 hours. You don't come near it, you don't ask about it. We get out before your parents come back, they never have to find our that you're the one who invited us."

"What the hell are you guys doing?" Malcolm yelled.

"You know, he just explained it really well, but all I could hear was my own heartbeat," Reese said.

"Reese, that stuff is-" Malcolm started, but the guy grabbed onto each of their noses.

"See, that's you guys talking and that doesn't work for me. Now can I trust you won't talk? Or do I have to remove something to make it physically impossible?"

"Did Fast Eddie like his salmon?" Reese asked Malcolm as he walked in the door.

"In about an hour, I'm gonna need you guys to dump a 50-gallon drum of...stuff. Be quick. Don't draw attention to yourselves. And don't breathe in while you're doing it," the guy said.

"Look, it's one thing to ask us to stay out of your business, but when you try to involve us-okay," Malcolm said.

"Hey, Donnie! The souffles are almost done!" Reese cried, and then the doorbell rang.

"Who the hell is that?" Donnie asked.

"I don't know-oh no," Malcolm said, and Donnie went to open the door.

"Who ordered the girl?" he asked, and there were various, 'Not me!'s and 'I didn't do it!'s being thrown around.

"Kathy, hi!" Malcolm cried.

"Hey," she said, uneasily, and then went up to murmur something to him.

"Hey! Bring your girlfriend in here!" one of the guys cried, nodding towards Kathy and my eyes widened when a different one winked at me.

"That's it, Reese. I'm outta here," I said, grabbing up my jacket and car keys.

"What? No! You have to stay!" Reese begged.

"Reese, these guys are scaring me and I want to go home."

"Come on, please stay. For me?" I sighed.

"Fine! But if one of those guys even *touches* me, I'm out of here!"

"Oww...5 points for Chuck," Reese moaned. He had pillows duct-taped to his arms, legs, and torso with a hockey mask on and a pan where his crotch is. "Owhh! Crotch again. 15 points. Nice shot, Randy."

"Chuck. Randy. We gotta put in the cattylist (sp?)," Donnie said.

"Hey, we could finish this game later! Don't look so down, Chuck-you're still in this!" Reese said, taking off his hockey helmet and climbing down from the coffee table.

"I think it's a party again!" Reese cried as he walked up to me and Malcolm.

"Are you _kidding me?_ This is a hostage situation!"

"No!"

"Reese, haven't you ever heard of Stockholm Syndrome? You're starting to identify with your captors."

"What captors? These guys saved my life, man!"

"Because they decided not to kill you!"

"Same thing."

"Reese, I'm with Malcolm on this," I said. "This is getting freaky."

"Fine, be that way!" he yelled.

"FINE!"

"They made us acsessors to some kind of felony!" Malcolm cried. "They're setting up a de-contamination shower in front of the garage! And poor Kathy must have been completely traumatized. Where'd she go, anyway? I'm never gonna forgive myself for dragging her into this. We have to do something!"

"You guys both have to relax!" Reese said. "Some of these guys are actually really nice. Have you had Big Wanda tell your fortune?"

"Look, we can't handle this ourselves! We don't know how to deal with a bunch of low-life criminals. We need help!"

"You guys did the right thing by calling me," Francis said, opening up his briefcase.

"Sorry to drag you all the way out here from the ranch," Malcolm replied.

"This shouldn't take long. They all in there?"

"Yeah. Well, one of them's in the bedroom with Kathy."

"Who's Kathy?"

"My date."

"Dude."

"What are you gonna do? How are you gonna get them out?" Reese cried.

"Yeah! One of those guys in there wants to rape me, I swear to God," I said.

"Whoa, slow down. You gotta think these things through. We're gonna handle this real delicately," Francis said, picking up a shovel from the yard and heading towards the garage. "When you're dealing with the complex psychological situation, you have to remember there's a lot of suttle machanashins (sp?) that come into play."

Francis pounded on the door, holding the shovel steady, and it swung open. "Donnie?"

"Francis? What are you doing here? I heard you were in Alaska!"

"No, I'm working at a ranch now! How you doin', you still hanging out at Kelsey's?"

"No, they went kareoke."

"Ahh, this town. So listen, this is my parents' house, these are my brothers. I know you didn't know that, but when you and your buddies took over the place, you kinda freaked 'em out a little," Francis said, gesturing towards us.

"Oh."

"So, uh, maybe you wanna take this someplace else."

"Yeah, you know what, that just sounds like it's gonna be hard. So...no."

"Hey, look, dude, I know you don't want me to get the cops over here, do ya'? And I'm sure you wouldn't want me to tell them who pulled over the water tower."

"That was _you,_ Francis," Donnie said and I groaned.

"Really? Well then, maybe I should tell them about the highway overpass."

"That was also you."

"Carwash? The sinkhole!"

"All you."

"Oh. Well...you guys sit tight and we'll be in the house. If that's okay," Francis said, and Donnie shut the door. He turned back around to look at us and said, "Well,

I think we gave them enough to think about."

"What the hell is _this?_" Craig cried as he and Dewey walked in the house the next morning to find about 50 guys sleeping all over the house.

"Shh! We just got them to go to sleep!" Malcolm said. I was smushed in the corner, clinging to both Reese and Francis's hand.

"You boys aren't even supposed to be here, and you're throwing a co-ed slumber party?" Craig asked.

"Who's the fat chick?" Donnie asked, drowsily as he and the rest of his friends started to wake up.

"Okay, that's it! I want everybody outta here, _pronto!_"

"Hey! No one tells us what to do!" Kathy cried and other guys nodded in agreement.

"Craig, you might wanna-" Francis started.

"None of your excuses! You and your little friends are in a boatload of trouble!"

Cut to Craig half-naked on the kitchen table while Donnie and a few of his friends were leaving red rings on his skin from sucking it with a vacuum while he screamed, and Francis, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and I all stood and watched.

"Let's just go back to Craig's apartment and wait it out 'til sundown," Francis said.

"We can't just leave him here!" Dewey cried.

"Dewey, there's a principle I learned in military school. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the guy who can't run fast."

"No!" Dewey argued. "We face-painted each other! I'm not leaving him here!"

"Dewey, there's nothing we can do!" Malcolm cried.

"Come on, Dewey, it won't be so bad. Just try not to think about it when we're at Craig's apartment," I said.

"I know what to do," Dewey said.

Dewey lifted up the garage while the rest of us stood behind him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Donnie asked.

"I think it would be best if you left. Now," Dewey replied.

"That's what you think, huh?" Donnie asked while the rest of them laughed.

"Yeah. That's what I think."

"Well, I thin we're gonna take a pass on that."

"Okay, Donnie. Just remember-you drove me to this."

"Really? What exactly did we just drive you to?"

"I told."

"Oh, you told?"

"I called your moms and I told on you."

"You called my mommmy? Hmm?"

"DONNIE!" a voice shrieked, and Donnie's eyes widened.

"Mom? What-what are you doing here?"

"Trying to hide how I ashamed I am of your behavior, wondering where I went wrong!" she cried, stomping up to him.

"Mom, come on-"

"Your father and I try to give you the best life possible, and *this* is how we're paid back?"

"Ma, you don't own me. I make my own decisions now!"

"*These* are the decisions you make? *This* is the life you choose? Who's covering your shift at the Suit Outlet?"

"Dude, you are *so* busted!" a fat guy from behind him cried, laughing.

"Don't you be so smug, David Allen Ferguson! Believe me, every one of your step-fathers is gonna hear about this!" his mom cried, walking up to him.

"You say goodbye to your friends and you get in the car. RIGHT. *NOW*!" Donnie's mom cried, and Donnie and David reluctantly followed their mothers.

"I forgot how good it feels to tell," Dewey said, smiling.

_~Trust me when I say I love you because I will always mean it.~_


	20. The Summer: June & August

_**The Summer (June)**_

"...!AndLois'. Whatabitch,right? AndwefoundoutthatIda-Lois'smom-isafraidof_blackpeople!_ SoFrancis,Piama,Lois,-wow,Isoundlikearacistbitch,don'tI?-andhadthemcomeoverandIda_almost_left,,Reese,Malcolm,andDeweywereatacarshow! Andtheytook_forever_togetback! Andgetthis- FRANCISHADTODELIVERTHEBABY! Yeah! Hehad to_reachuphismom'svadgeandpullthebabyout!_ Howsickandwrongisthat? Thebaby'snameisJamie,bytheway. Whatacutenameforababy,right? ! How_sweet_ismyboyfriend?"

("...and then when I went over there and Francis and Piama were there! And Lois's hellish mother came over while we were cleaning and she kept calling me a prostitute. What a bitch, right? And we found out that Ida-Lois's mom-is afraid of _black people!_ So Francis, Piama, Lois, and I called some of her black friends-wow, I sound racist, don't I?-and had them come over and Ida _almost_ left, but then Lois went into labor while Hal, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey were at a car show! And they took _forever_ to get back! And get this-FRANCIS HAD TO DELIVER THE BABY! Yeah! He had to _reach up his mom's vadge and pull the baby out!_ How sick and wrong is that? The baby's name is Jamie, by the way. What a cute name for a baby, right? And it turns out Reese and the rest of his family were at a bridal expo! How _sweet_ is my boyfriend?")

I was on the plane to Jim's summer cabin. Jim, Graham, and Dominick were ahead of me, Ben and Mom behind, and Katherine right next to me. I was blabbing to her about how Jamie was born.

"Well, that's...that's nice, honey," Mom called to me and I could tell she hadn't heard a thing I had said. Probably because I had been talking so fast. But Katherine was a teenage girl (like me) so of course, she heard all of it. I expected an eye roll or a snarky comment, but instead she said,

"Sounds like you're really close to Reese's family."

"I _am!_" I cried. "I love them. Reese is _so_ sweet and Francis, Malcolm, and Dewey are like my brothers. I actually like them better than my _own_ brothers." Katherine gave me a weak smile and I immediately felt bad. Here I was, going on and on about all the fun times I had with the people I cared most about when Katherine had nobody.

_**Cut to: (August)**_

"...so how was your summer?" I asked Reese over the phone as I boarded the airplane.

"Okay, I guess. Mostly pretty boring. Yours?"

"Pretty fun. Katherine was too busy being 6-months pregnant to be any fun and Ben was too busy moping in his bedroom about breaking up with his precious Kathy-"

"Who?"

"Never mind. So, Dominick and Graham were the only ones I could hang out with. Which is okay, I guess. Little kids are so cute."

"Yeah."

"Oh! I forgot to tell you! The blonde highlights grew out of my hair, so I'm just a brunette now. You probably won't even recognize me."

"Hey, my highlights grew out, too."

"Oh My God, really? This is _so_ cool!" I gushed and smoothed out the crinkled piece of paper on my lap, smiling to myself. It was a poem that I had found in my box

of chocolates that Reese had gotten me for Valentine's Day. I hadn't told him that I had found it-I figured he just assumed I did:

_i love you so deeply,_

_i love you so much,_

_i love the sound of your voice_

_and the way that we touch._

_i love your warm smile_

_and your kind, thoughtful way._

_the joy that you bring _

_i love you today_

_as i have from the start,_

_and i'll love you forever_

_with all of my heart._

Isn't my boyfriend the sweetest?

The fam and I were pushing our luggage through the airport when Katherine nudged me on the shoulder. "Hey, that guy kinda' looks like Reese." I glanced over at where she was looking, and nodding.

"Yeah, he kinda' does-_Oh My God!_" I screamed and dropped all my luggage before taking off at a full-on sprint towards my boyfriend. "REESE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

"Surprising you."

"How did you get here? Did you get your license back?" I asked and he nodded, grinning. "And Oh My God! I _love_ your hair! When you first told me that the highlights grew out, I didn't know _how_ it would look, cuz you've had highlights ever since I met you! But it looks _great!_ Very sexy. Aah, I'm babbling, but I can't help it! I missed you _so_ much!"

"I missed you, too."

"You don't think your parents would mind if I went back to your house to say hi to everyone, would they? That would be _awesome!_"

"Nope. Let's go," Reese said.

"Okay, just a sec!" I said, and ran back to my luggage, with my family huddled around it. "Mom, you wouldn't care if Reese drove me back to his house, would you?"

"Well, I was sort of hoping-" she started, but I cut her off.

"Great! Thanks, Mom!" I cried, snatching up my suitcases and running off towards my boyfriend.

Reese had parked the car in the driveway and I was all ready to go inside and give Malcolm and Dewey each a big 'I-Missed-You' hug, but that was an hour ago. Right now, Reese and I were tangled together in a hot, sweaty mess in the backseat. I think you can put 2 and 2 together.

"I fucking hate that you have to go away on vacation for so long," Reese said, lazily as we stretched out our naked bodies along the backseat, covered only by a ratty blanket. He had his arm stretched out under my neck and I had my head on his shoulder.

"Me too. I miss you so freaking much-I miss _this_ so freaking much."

"Yeah. Me too," Reese said with a sigh.

I leaned up so that my lips were right next to his ear and then I whispered, "I love you so deeply, I love you so much-"

"Shut up!" he moaned.

"I love the sound of your voice..." I murmured and intertwined my fingers with his. "and the way that we touch."

"Did you memorize the whole poem?" Reese asked as I kissed his neck.

"Maybe."

"Wow.

"I know." I glanced at the clock as Reese put his hand on my left breast and squeezed. "Shit."

"What?" he muttered as he kissed my shoulder.

"It's almost 11:00-my mom is gonna have a heart attack."

"Why?"

"Because she's _got_ to know what we're doing and with the whole thing with Katherine, she's _really_ freaked out about the whole sex thing and..." I trailed off and moaned, softly when Reese squeezed my thigh and fingered me. "...and...and...God, fuck my mom!" I kissed him and he put himself inside me again.

_~you are my heart.~_


	21. Thanksgiving

_**Thanksgiving**_

"See? The real valsalmic (sp?) has a smoother mouth feel," Reese said, giving Jamie a spoonful of some kind of food and then Hal walked in. "Good! You're back! I'm gonna start prepping the herb de vaz and start taining (sp?) the mushrooms. I need _you_ to scrub these pots and pans again."

"What? No! I just finished those!" Hal cried.

"Dad, look at this," Reese said, holding up a pan. "The stubborn petina of tuna casserole or enchilada loaf or whatever in God's name this greasy food spoons out night after sulking night. But not tonight! Tonight we go for greatness! Are you with me, Dad?"

"No! This pot is clean enough, Reese! No one will taste this!"

"Alright, then. I guess no one will ever taste _this!_" Reese said, feeding Hal something on a spoon.

"Oh My God!" Hal moaned and started to wash the pots and pans again while Reese met Dewey at the back door.

"How come you don't have to help?" Hal asked me, while I did my nails on the kitchen table.

"Because I am his girlfriend. The only way to tell if I'm doing a good job _as_ his girlfriend is if he loves me and fears me at the same time. And he does," I replied, smiling. Hal grumbled to himself and then looked back at me.

"Are you staying for dinner?"

"Hell yeah! I'm not missing this feast!"

*LATER*

"Okay, Dad, get the bird," Reese said and Hal took the turkey out of the fridge.

"Yes-this is the turkey you got?" Hal asked, studying it.

"It's perfect," Reese replied.

"It's really small."

"Well, if it were any bigger it wouldn't be able to fit inside of this!" Reese said, lifting a giant, dead catfish onto the table.

"Reese! Eww! It smells!" I moaned, plugging my nose.

"What? You're gonna put our dinner inside that monster?" Hal asked.

"It's a munk fish! The juices of the munk fish will base the turkey. The flavor from the turkey will saturate the fish both melding into one _fantastic_ dish!" Reese explained.

"Reese, this doesn't seem like a good idea."

"I don't know, Dad. Maybe you're right. Maybe I have _no idea_ what I'm talking about," Reese said, feeding Hal somethine _else_ on a spoon.

"Oh! You know that really shouldn't work!" Hal moaned.

"You should just listen to him. He obviously knows what he's doing," I said.

"_Thank_ you!" Reese said and then knelt down next to the munk fish and started petting it-yes, petting it. "Listen, my ugly beauty, yesterday you were sucking scum off of the bottom of the sea. But tonight, you're gonna tango with the Gods!" Reese opened its mouth and pretended like it was talking: "Yes, Master. I will be delicious for you!"

I frowned. "Silence is the appropriate response for that."

*LATER*

"Dad! What are these?" Reese asked, holding up a bowl of God-knows-what.

"Minced onions," Hal replied.

"Minced! I specifically asked for diced!" Reese yelled, throwing the onions in the garbage. Holy crap! "Come on, Dad!"

"Don't take that tone with me, Reese!" Hal replied.

"This isn't fun," Dewey grumbled as he was skinning potatos.

"Fun? No, Dewey, this is not fun! Neither one of you seems to understand that we're _not_ playing games here! There are lives at stake!"

"No, there aren't," Dewey said.

"Okay, but it's very important. We're creating something special! Something great. Something beautiful."

"Why is my wallet in my other pocket?" Hal asked.

"Can we stay focused, Dad?" Reese cried.

"There was $80 in here!"

"I had to! The cheese course was a joke!"

"Reese, you are in big trouble! You know what? I have had it with this! I'm through...with the helping part! I'm still doing the eating part!" Hal yelled and stormed out.

"Fine! I don't need you! I still have Dewey, he's twice the assisatn en true menciay (sp?) you will ever be!" Reese said and snatched the potato from Dewey's hand to skin it himself.

"Geez, Reese, chill out," I said, and he glared at me.

"Chill out? how can I _chill out_ when I have so much work to do? Not like _you're_ a big help!" I scoffed.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me! Now why don't you get off your lazy butt and actually _help_ me?" Reese yelled and I curled my hands into fists.

"_What_ did you just say to me?"

"Uh-oh," Dewey said and Reese suddenly looked scared.

"Nothing! I was just kidding! You don't _have_ to help, because-because that way you'll be treated like the princess really you are!" he cried, nervously and I glared at him.

"I'm not gonna yell because I wanna stay and eat all this _amazing_ food that you're gonna serve, but as _soon_ as Thanksgiving's over, you are getting your ass kicked, Mister! Now, I _might_ go easy on you if I _am_ treated like an actual princess. Good luck."

*LATER*

"I don't _care_ what shape we cut the mushrooms, I quit!" Dewey cried, storming out of the kitchen.

"This is why you're always gonna be a little man living in a little world! I don't need _anyone!_" Reese yelled and I peered through the sheets as everyone started arguing.

"So this is what Thanksgiving with the Wilkerson's is like," I said.

*LATER*

"What is all this stuff?" Piama asked, walking into the kitchen while Reese ran around, trying to do everything himself.

"Piama! Good! I need you! Here, stir this pot," Reese said, handing her a spoon.

"Alright, alright, I just need the stuff that acorns squash rings with, roasted peppers plenta, sear the scalps and-the munk fish!" Reese cried as the timer buzzed; he searched through the drawers. "Where are the oven mitts?"

"You want me to look?" Piama asked.

"No, keep stirring! No place mats, no tea towels, I need something!" Reese cried.

"I'll get a towel from the bathroom!" Piama started.

"Reese, do you want me to he-" I started, but Reese cut me off.

"No, there's not enough time. It has to come out at exactly 5:38. Not 5:37, and not 5:39."

"WHAT ARE YOU GONNA DO?" Piama and I cried.

"There's only one thing I can do," Reese replied as he approached the oven.

"Reese, don't!" I screamed. Reese reached in and grabbed the munk out of the oven with his bare hands.

"Aah! Aah! Leave me a space!" he shrieked, and I bolted up from the table.

"Where?" Piama cried.

"Move the oven mitts!" Reese yelled and I snatched them up from the table and Reese laid the fish on the table. _Wait a second, if these are the oven mitts..._ I thought, and then shook my head. _Oh, Reese._

*LATER*

I was sitting, awkwardly at the dinner table with Hal, Lois, Francis, Piama, and Dewey.

"Where is Malcolm? He knows he's supposed to be here! This is _Thanksgiving!_" Lois moaned.

"Yupp, he certainly wouldn't wanna miss this," Hal grumbled.

"Well, I've done it," Reese announced, coming out of the kitchen. "The feast is about to start."

"Well, it's about time," Francis said.

"I'm not even hungry," Piama admitted.

"Can I be excused?" Dewey asked.

"Will everyone shut up?" I moaned.

Reese came out and started serving our food-and it looked _delicious._

"The turkey-munk fish," Reese announced, placing it on the table and we all 'aah'ed and clapped. I think we actually started to feel like a family. Or less awkward and irritated, that is.

"All say Grace?" Reese suggested and I joined hands with Lois and Francis (I was in Malcolm's spot). "Thank you, Lord for giving me the talent to express my love for my family and my girlfriend in the only way I know how. Amen."

"Amen!" Hal said, and we got ready to dig in.

"Heyy, party people!" Malcolm cried, stumbling in the door.

"Oh My God, you're drunk!" Lois exclaimed. "What on earth is wrong with you?

"I will tell you what is wrong with me on Earth. The reason why I drink is because I'm a coward! Probably gay. I let a _perfect_ opportunity just slip right through my fingers, and you know? I thought I'd top it off by getting stinkin' drunk! Whaddaya think of you Golden Boy _now,_ Mom?" Malcolm asked.

"What Golden Boy? Get in your room! I'll deal with you later!" Lois snapped.

"I will go to my room when I am finished with what I have to say," Malcolm started and then grabbed the turkey so he could barf in it.

"Eww!" I cried, and got up. Everyone else got up, too and walked away in disgust.

"Okay, come on! Some of the shrimp is still good!" Reese begged.

"He ruined your Thanksgiving feast!" I moaned. "Kick his ass, Reese!"

*LATER*

"For the record," I explained as Reese and I ate some of the shrimp and the other stuff that he had prepared alone. "you are still in major trouble. You will grovel, as in you will do what I tell you, you will tell me I'm beautiful on a daily basis, and you will call me every night for the next month-no excuses! Only _then_ will you be off the hook."

"Seems fair," Reese said and I put a shrimp in my mouth when my cell phone rang.

"Hold on a sec," I said and answered it, "Hello?"

"Maria! Come quick!" It was Ben.

"What? What's going on?"

"KATHERINE'S HAVING THE BABY!"

"_What?_"

_~don't be afraid when i TOUCH you, i just want to LOVE you so we can get busy IN THE DARK.~_


	22. Malcolm Films Reese

_**Malcolm Films Reese**_

Reese was sitting on the chair at his desk and I was sitting in his lap, and we were making out. Until, that is, Dewey came stomping in and ruined the moment.

"Dewey! Get the hell out!" I snapped, throwing my Algebra notebook at him.

"_No!_ This is my room, too!" Dewey replied, plopping down on the bed.

"Whatever!" Reese said, and tried to kiss me again, but I pushed him away.

"Sorry, Reese. I can't have an audience. It makes me weird."

"Get out _now!_" Reese yelled at Dewey, but the 10-year-old shook his head. "I'm gonna get you for this!"

*LATER*

Reese was glueing pushpins to his fingers, enclosed as a fist. _That_ was how he was gonna get back at Dewey.

"Hey, have you seen Dewey anywhere? I wanna try something out on him," Reese said to Malcolm, who walked in the room with a baseball cap.

"No. So, uh, how are you?" Malcolm asked.

"Huh?" Reese said.

"Just curious how you're...feeling."

"How the hell should I know?" Reese asked.

"Why do you care? You've never cared before," I said and Malcolm glared at me in a Shut-Up! way.

"Well, are you happy? Are you sad?" Malcolm asked Reese. "Like when you laugh. You're feeling that something's funny."

"Like when I tripped Arthur Hall and his retainer went flying out of his mouth into a pile of dog crap? _That_ was awesome!"

"Aww, I can't believe I missed that!" I moaned and I got the glare from Malcolm again.

"So you think it's funny when other people get hurt?" Malcolm asked.

"I think it's funny when you shut up!" Reese yelled and Malcolm got up.

"Okay, okay." He started towards the door.

"Hey, they laugh at me," Reese said and I stared, sadly at my boyfriend.

"People laugh at you?" Malcolm asked.

"Yeah, people laugh at me. But not for long!"

"So, what you're saying is...when people laugh at you, it hurts. And then you wanna make them hurt, too?"

"No, what I'm saying is," Reese said, getting up. "If you wanna talk like a girl, go find a girl. And take this with you!" Reese punched Malcolm hard in the face, sending him spiraling to the ground. "See? It _is_ funny!"

*LATER*

"So, you were singing in this dream?" Malcolm asked Reese, who was visible through the flickering, black-and-white screen.

"Yeah! And there were all these clouds around me," Reese replied.

"Do you _like_ clouds?"

"Yeah, I like clouds! I call them sky kittens. This is so weird, I've never told any of this to anyone. Even Maria! You're like another wishing hole!"

"What's a wishing hole?"

"You don't have a wishing hole?"

"No."

"Oh man, you gotta get one! Mine's in a tree on Jefferson Street. You can ask your wishing hole for _anything!_ It never calls you stupid or a perv! My hole always keeps my wishes safe. It's like a bank for wishes!"

Cut to Malcolm in Mr. Herkabe's office:

"It's called being a liar! He's my brother, and I exploited him-a liar! He's my brother, and I exploted him!" Malcolm cried from the TV screen.

Cut to Reese at his wishing hole:

"I wish Malcolm and I would be friends forever!"

Mr. Herkabe hit the "Pause" button and I dug my nails into the side of the desk. How could Malcolm exploit Reese like that?

"Hey, Maria, nice boyfriend!" a guy from behind me snickered.

"Yeah, what a fag!"

"...such a loser..."

"Why would she date him?"

I was going to _kill_ Malcolm, and before Reese got to him, too. I wanted him _alive_.

*LATER*

"MALCOLM!" I screamed, charging across the campus like a bulldozer.

"Maria! Look, I _know_ you're mad-" he started, but he didn't get to finish because I had popped him a good one in the eye.

"If you mess with Reese, you mess with me! Think about that," I said, and stormed off to find my boyfriend.

*LATER*

It was the next day and I approached Reese at the lunch table outside. I missed him yesterday.

"Hey, Reese, I've got a hole you can wish into!" a guy mocked and Reese bowed his head in humiliation.

"Hi, baby. How ya' been holdin' up?" I asked, sitting down next to him and he shrugged. "Oh, come on, give me something!" But he just shrugged again. I tried again:

"I punched Malcolm in the face for you, if it makes you feel any better." At that moment, Malcolm came walking up to us. "Speak of the devil."

"This is an official apology," Malcolm said to Reese. "I'm a _terrible_ person, and I'm sorry. What I did was horrible, even by our standards, and let's face it: we have set the bar pretty low." When Reese didn't reply, Malcolm cried, "Look, I'm _begging_ you! Tell me what I can do to fix it. _Anything!_ Just-just say it and I'll do it!"

"Sure. Fly backwards around the world like Superman to turn back time to _before_ I thought we liked each other," Reese said and we got up.

"Do you feel better?" I asked him.

"Not really." I sighed.

"Malcolm's gonna fix it. You _do_ know that, right?" Reese shrugged.

"I dunno."

"He will. He's *Malcolm*! Of course he'll fix it. He'll find a way, I promise!"

*LATER*

"Hello, North High students." Malcolm's voice came over the intercom. "This is Malcolm. You all know the horrible thing I did to my brother, Reese." Reese looked up and I squeezed his hand.

"Told you!"

"And I would like to publically apologize for turning him into a laughing stock. I should never have exposed his secrets, and I can't turn back time. I _can,_ however, level the playing field! I have been having impure thoughts about Shirley the Lunch Lady. Last month I caught a glimpse of her cleavage and I've been fantasizing about her ever since."

"Eww!" I cried while the kids around us whispered and gossipped.

"And now that I've admitted that, I'm _just_ as big a laughing stock as he is. Unfortunately, that doesn't protect him from the rest of the school, so I'm _forced_ to bring everyone down to our level," Malcolm said.

"Oh no!" I moaned, and Reese stared at me.

"Why 'oh no'? Malcolm is fixing it, just like you said!" Reese said.

"He won't read _mine,_ will he? He'd better not!" I cried, and Reese grinned.

"Oh, he will."

"Let's take a look at everyone's permanent records. First up, David Aberna. He wasn't on a construction crew this summer, he was in theatre camp! Sheryl Adams is excused from gym this week because her herpes is flaring up. Charlie Agnew wets his bed every night during finals. Leslie Albert forged her parent's signatures to get a mug shot. James Allen-James Allen. He likes to eat his-" I clamped my hands over my ears to keep from hearing what I _thought_ Malcolm was gonna say, and Reese laughed at me.

**3 WEEKS LATER**

"Hey, plaguerizer. Hey, pukes up their sheets. Hey, Dad-had-a-breakdown-cuz-Mom-went-lesbian," Reese called out to random students as we walked across campus, hand- in-hand.

"Hey, fag," Reese said when he came to Danny and I smacked him.

"Reese, stop it! Danny's my friend." Malcolm revealed in Danny's personal record that Danny had come out of the closet to the school's guidance counselor.

"Oh, I'm sorry went-lesbian-in-kindergarten, did I hurt your feelings?" Reese asked and I glared at him.

"I did _not_ go lesbian in kindergarten! I just-"

"Kissed a few chicks?"

"It was on a dare! And it wasn't a _few,_ it was one!"

"Yeah, OKAY!"

"Reese!" I whined.

*LATER*

When I got home from school, I expected Mom to give me the cold shoulder like she had been for the last 3 weeks. She was mad because Malcolm told the whole school that Ben was into drugs, who then had to be sent to rehab. She immediately dubbed it my fault because Malcolm was my friend. She was acting like I _told_ him to do it, which I didn't! But instead of ignoring me, she glared at me.

"Oh, God. What did I do now?" I asked, setting my bag down on the table while she crossed her arms over her chest. "Leslie has been keeping me up all night, Katherine _refuses_ to get her own apartment, Ben is in _rehab_ and you!"

"What about me?" I asked, frowning.

"You're ruining your life with that boy!" she cried, and I rolled my eyes.

"Oh My God. We're on _this_ again?"

"No, because last time it was about if he was using you for sex, but I was proven wrong. _This_ is about that boy-"

"He has a name, you know!" I snapped. "His name is Reese."

"I know his name," she replied, coldly.

"Then say it!" She took a breath to calm herself.

"Reese is not smart. He's not talented. He's not _going_ anywhere in life. And I know you, you will just keep on clinging to him as he continues to spiral downward, and I don't want that for you!"

"I know what this is about," I said, and Mom stared at me.

"Huh?"

"This is about the way your kids are 'making you look.'"

"That's ridiculous!"

"No, it's not. Katherine got pregnant and dropped out of high school. Ben is in rehab to get off of cocaine. You're hoping that you can control Graham and Dominick into being better kids than we were, but we both know they're gonna end up the same, if not worse. And you're trying to get me to break up with Reese so that you will have raised at least _one_ kid that wasn't a failure!"

"Maria, that's insane! And how do you know that Graham and Dominick won't turn out alright? How do you know that Katherine and Ben won't turn their lives around?"

"Because I know _you,_" I said, coldly. "You're the one who made us this way. As soon as Katherine got here, you smothered her with all kinds of responsibility and girl stuff you never got to use on me because I was dating Reese, so she tried to break away and she _got pregnant._ You clung onto Ben and me until we just _had_ to get away from you-Ben used drugs and I used Reese, and his family _who I love!_ God knows you'll do the same with Graham and Dominick. Dad didn't leave me or Ben or Graham, he left _you_ because you're a BITCH!"

"Maria...!" Mom cried, baffled.

"Yeah! You heard me! _Bitch!_ And another thing! I'm gonna _marry_ Reese one day and you know what? We're gonna be okay, and we're gonna prove you wrong! We're gonna prove everybody wrong. And _I'll_ be the one kid who wasn't a failure, and _I'll_ be right. I know that for a fact."

_~you are the music in me.~_


	23. Block Party

_**Block Party**_

It was Christmas break, and the Wilkerson's were away at a summer cabin for the week, so I had planned to hang out with Danny today.

"You're not weirded out by the whole gay thing?" Danny asked as we made out way to my room.

"No! I've always wanted a gay guy best friend! And I was tired of you drooling over me when I was dating Reese."

"Yeah. Nice job, Maria! You've reppeled (sp?) against women forever!" Danny joked and I laughed.

"Sorry, bud."

We were about to turn into my room when we met Katherine in the hall. She was in a t-shirt and sweatpants, her hair in a messy bun, and had circles under her eyes. She was a wreck.

"Is Leslie crying again?" she murmured, and I shrugged.

"I don't know. You can go check if you want," I suggested and she grumbled as she stomped past me.

"Whoa. Katherine used to be hot. What happened?" Danny asked as we sat down on my bed.

"Shut up! You're gay, anyway, how would you know? She's just had a lot going on with Leslie. It's hard being a teenage mom. Thank God I wasn't!" Danny stared at me.

"What?"

"Oh, right! I never told you the story!" I launched into the story of how I thought I was pregnant as my cell phone buzzed. I pulled it out while I kept talking.

Cynthiagal: hii(:

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) heyy! i havent talked to u in *forever*!

Cynthiagal: ikr? i missed u :(

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) aww, i missed u 2. ive just been *super* busy lately.

Cynthiagal: oh yahh? w/ wat?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) lotsa stuff. but were definitely hanging out over break! r u free?

Cynthiagal: pretty much. can u come over on new years?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) prolly.

Cynthiagal: wont ur mom be mad that ur spending new years with me and not ur family?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i already spend thanksgiving and christmas w/ the wilkersons every year. whats one more holiday?

Cynthiagal: cool. so whatcha' doin'?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) talkin' 2 danny.

Cynthiagal: is he ur house?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) yepp ;D

Cynthiagal: cool.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) thats what ive been needing. just time to chill with my buds, like u and danny.

Cynthiagal: no offense, but besides me n danny, and malcolm, dewey and reese, do u have any other friends? like, *real* friends?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) dus christine count?

Cynthiagal: not rlly, cuz she's like alex's groupie.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) not rlly, but wat more do i need? i luv u all with my whole heart, and u guys luv me. 3

Cynthiagal: 3

Cynthiagal: brb

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) kaaayy(:

"...and then I called Francis and told him to tell Reese the results of the test," I finished.

"Wow," Danny said and stretched out on my bed. "How come you never told me before?" I shrugged.

"I dunno. It just never came up. So how about you? Got a boyfriend yet?" I asked, and Danny shook his head.

"Sadly, no."

"Do you want one?"

"I guess so."

"Want me to hook you up?" I asked, grinning.

"_No!_ I don't do blind dates. And do you even know any other gay guys?"

"I bet I could find some."

"Maria!"

"Sorry. So, what do you want to do now? We could read Seventeen magazine and look at guys that we think are hot," I suggested and Danny glared at me.

"I'm not _that_ gay, okay? I'm still pretty much the same Danny."

"Okay, sorry."

"Are you kids bored?" my mom asked, poking her head in my room and I rolled my eyes. My mom had always _loved_ Danny-she secretly wanted us to get together. I could tell.

"Mom? Danny's gay," I said, and I saw her face fall.

"Oh. Well, Jim's visiting Ben and Katherine's dropping Leslie off at Day Care. I'm taking Graham and Dominick to a block party a few blocks over, and I was wondering if you kids wanted to come." I rolled my eyes again.

"We're not kids, Mom. We're 16."

"Yeah, yeah. Are you coming or not?" I looked at Danny.

"You want to?"

"Sure." We both got up off the bed and headed towards the door.

*LATER*

"Hey, isn't this Reese's neighborhood?" Danny asked as we walked around the block party and I nodded.

"Yeah. There's his house, look!" I cried and pointed. "Hey, their car's in the garage! Did they come home early from vacation?"

"Maybe. You wanna go say hi?"

"Nope. I'll have plenty of time to say hi to him when we go back to school, but Christmas break is all about my friends-you and Cynthia!" Danny raised his eyebrows.

"_Just_ me and Cynthia? That's sad, Mare."

"Shut up! Like _you're_ so popular, Mr. Jolly Gay Giant!"

"You got that from Two and a Half Men last night, didn't you?"

"Maybe."

"MARIA! MARIA!" I turned around to see a terrified Graham and Dominick come running up to us. "SAVE US!"

"From who?" I asked as my little brother (Graham) clung to my sleeve.

"Reese!" Dominick wailed, and I groaned.

"He won't hurt you. Just-"

"YES, HE WILL!" they cried and ran off again. "But we'll get our revenge!"

"Oh, crap!" I moaned and Danny smirked.

"Do you wanna go find Reese? I'll be fine by myself."

"No. No! We are gonna hang out and we're gonna have _fun!_"

"Really, it's fi-"

"I SAID WE WERE GONNA HAVE FUN, AND WE WILL! NOW COME ON!"

*LATER*

"Thank you, Jim," the announcer guy said, walking onstage. "Now coming up in just a couple of minutes, we have our 5th annual kielbasa eating contest! Sponsored by the Savis Brothers: the kielbasa that makes you go mmm!"

"A kielbasa eating contest. Sounds like it would be fun to watch," Danny said and I frowned.

"What the hell is a kielbasa?" I asked, and Danny laughed at me.

"They're kinda like hot dogs. Sort of. Just watch."

"Why don't _you_ enter?"

"Me? No way! What about you?"

"I just learned what a kielbasa was 4 seconds ago!" I cried and Danny laughed at me again.

"I'll enter if you do," he said and I replied,

"Okay, I guess no one's gonna be entering then."

*LATER*

"It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood for our 5th annual Savis brothers kielbasa eating contest," the announer guy said and I clapped my hands together.

"Oh My God! Lois and Hal are entering! This is _so_ cool!"

The announcer guy continued, "With us this year, we have our old friends Louie, Jerry, Jackson, Lois and Hal, and our last year's champion: Big Tony!"

"Shit!" I said when I saw how big Big Tony really was. "Is _that_ the kinda guy you like, Danny?"

"Shut up."

"And eaters, start your marks!" he said and then rung a big bell. All of the contestants started to dig in, except for Lois, who was neatly cutting the kielbasas with a fork.

"What the hell is she doing? She's gonna _lose!_" Danny cried above all the yelling, and I shook my head.

"No, she's not. She's gonna beat 'em all."

"How do you know?"

"You wanna make a bet?" I asked him and he smirked and nodded. "Ten bucks says she wins. If anyone else wins, the money's yours."

"Deal," Danny said and we shook hands.

*LATER*

"Well, ladies and gentlemen, we've lost Jerry and Jackson. Louie's put away 6, but he has a lot to go if he wants to catch up to Hal and Big Tony, who have eaten 9 apiece!"

"Ha! You're going down!" Danny yelled.

"Wait just a minute! Lois has eaten 9, too!"

"HA!" I shouted back and he rolled his eyes.

"We just lost Louie," the announcer guy said as Louie ran offstage while covering his mouth to keep from barfing. "Looks like it's just 3!" Lois stopped to wipe her mouth and chew. "Oh, wait a minute. Is this the end of the road for Lois?"

"Pay up!" Danny yelled, and I brushed him away.

"Wait."

Lois said something to the announcer guy and a heap of sour crout was delivered onto her tray.

"What did you want me to do?" I mocked and Danny glared at me.

*LATER*

"This is astonishing! Last year's record is shattered!" the announcer guy yelled while Danny and I screamed, "Go! Go! Go!" with the rest of the crowd.

Big Tony's face collapsed onto the plate and the audience gasped. "Oh My God! Big Tony's out for the pound! Well, it's down to Hal and Lois now!"

"Hey, have you two seen Graham and Dominick?" Mom asked, approaching Danny and me from behind.

"_Us?_ I thought they were _your_ responsibility!" I cried, and she glared at me.

"Don't take that tone with me! God, where could they _be?_"

_'We'll get our revenge'!_

"Oh, dammit," I moaned and then grabbed my mom's arm. "Come on."

"I'm gonna stay here. To see who wins!" Danny called after me and I gave him a Thumb's Up sign as Mom and I headed towards the Wilkerson's.

*LATER*

We ran up the Wilkerson's driveway to see Reese hanging from the garage ceiling with a bunch of little kids-including Graham and Dominick-were beating Reese. One kid had a bat.

"Oh My _God!_" I cried and ran up to them, pushing the little kids backwards. "Get away from him!"

"Graham? Dominick, put the bat down! Graham, where are you, honey?" Mom called as she searched through the crowd of kids for her son, while she clutched Dominick's hand.

"MARIA! HELP ME!" Reese wailed, and I reached up to try to unhook his pants from the ceiling.

"What the hell are you doing?" I yelled as Reese fell to the ground, and Mom led the little kids away, screaming threats to call their mothers.

"Trying to make money," he sobbed, and I hoisted him to his feet. "Lollipop?"

"God, you're like a child!" I snapped as I snatched the lollipop from him. "How could this possibly end well?"

"I don't know," Reese sniffled and I sighed.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"You wanna come see something cool?" I asked and he nodded. "Dewey?" He nodded, too.

*LATER*

"...I think both Hal and Lois are pushing the 21-mark! It's an amazing spectacle! 2 great competitors pushing each other to greater and greater heights!" the announcer guy cried as Reese, Dewey, and I approached Danny in the crowd. "This is amazing! There's only one kielbasa left and it's on Hal's plate! The title is his..._if_ he can finish it!"

Just as Hal was about to take a giant bite, the kielbasa flew out of his hands. He lunged after it, but Lois stabbed it with her fork first. She put it in her mouth, and then Hal put his mouth on the other end and they chewed until their lips met in the middle, and everyone cheered.

"Aww!" I moaned and gave Reese a big bear hug.

Suddenly, everyone started yelling and screaming and stomping back to their houses. Hal, Lois, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, Danny, and I all looked around, wondering where the hell everyone was going.

*LATER*

"Hey, Reese! Want to help me go fill up the moon bounce with this?" Dewey asked, holding up 2 giant bags of popcorn.

"Naah, I'm gonna go put dogs in the ferris wheel," Reese said, and then looked at me. "Wanna come?"

"Sure!" I cried, and grabbed his hand.

"Hey, I'll help," Danny said to Dewey and we took off in pairs.

Reese was getting the dogs ready to put them on the ferris wheel when my cell phone buzzed and then rang seconds after.

"Hold on, Reese," I said and he nodded at me. I got an IM from Cynthia:

Cynthiagal: hello? u there?

and also a call from my mom.

_Oh, God,_ I thought and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Are you still with...Reese?" I don't get why it's such a big deal for her to say his name.

"Yeah. We're putting dogs in the ferris wheel."

"You're what?"

"We're riding the ferris wheel."

"Oh. I was thinking...that you know how I feel about Reese."

"Uh-huh. You've made it _very_ clear."

"I want him to come to dinner tonight."

"Gross!" I cried, and immediately wished I could take it back.

"Why is that gross? You've eaten dinner with Reese's family almost every night for the last year and a half."

"Okay, okay, fine!" I snapped, and hung up the phone.

"Your mom?" he guessed, barely even looking up.

"Yeah. My mom wants you to come to dinner tonight."

Reese's head shot up in a panic, and cried, "Gross!" I giggled.

"That's what I said."

"Do I _have_ to go?" Reese moaned, and I grabbed his hand.

"It would make me really happy if you did."

"Dammit."

*LATER*

Reese and I were having dinner with Jim, my mom, Graham, and Dominick. We were having spaghetti, and my mom was pestering Reese with questions. It was insanely annoying.

"So, Reese, do you have any plans for the future?" Mom asked and I tried not to groan. And failed. She shot me a death glare before turning back to Reese.

"No! Why waste time planning now? That's what being an adult is for!" Reese replied and shoveled more noodles into his mouth. I smirked, and Mom glared at me again.

I think you can guess that my mom wasn't very pleased.

_~i want a romantic love story like the REST OF THEM.~_


	24. Reese's Apartment

_**Reese's Apartment**_

Reese pulled a platter of muffins out of the oven while I flipped through the channels on his TV.

"I can't believe your parents kicked you out," I said, getting up from the couch to go get a muffin.

"They didn't. _I_ moved out and _I_ took a stand!" Reese argued and I nodded.

"Right, sorry." We were in Reese's new apartment and there was a knock on the door.

"Great timing. The muffins just came out," Reese said when he opened the door.

"Hi, Francis!" I called.

"Hi, Maria. Thank God you called me! I can't _believe_ the hell Mom and Dad put you through!" Francis cried, and then turned around to look at the apartment. "Hey, who's place is this?"

"It's mine. And it's completely furnished with a cable TV," Reese said. "I told them I was 18, so I got a 2-year lease. You're a banana walnut man, right?" Reese put on his oven mitts and went back to his muffins.

"Reese, you can't live in a place like this!"

"Yeah, I can. They're having a move-in special. First month's free, it's only $375 a month, utilities included! I can make my rent in a week if I pick up an extra shift! I should've done this like, 6 months ago!" Reese said.

"Hey, Reese! Come on, we're going to the roof! There's some students across the street who are taking their cigarette break!" said a guy, as he and 2 others stormed into the apartment.

"Sorry, I can't. I'm having my brother and my girlfriend over for breakfast. Francis and Maria, this is Teddy, Lou, George. Divorced, seperated, wife's-doing-the- best-friend."

"Ex-best friend. Excuse me," George said, leaving the room.

"Alright. Well, you know where we'll be," Teddy said and then pointed at Francis. "Hey, is that a wedding ring?"

"Yeah," Francis replied.

"Oh, man. Start hiding the money now, my friend!" Teddy and Lou left.

"Oh man, this place is awesome!" Reese cried.

"I know you think this place is great, but any objective observer will tell you it's most certainly not!" Francis argued, and at that moment, Malcolm and Dewey walked in.

"Whoa! This place is awesome!" Malcolm cried.

"_Right?_" I agreed.

"One thing's for sure, I'd never, _ever_ leave if I were you!" Dewey said.

"So who's up for some muffins?" Reese asked.

"I am!" Malcolm cried.

"Me!" Dewey said.

"No! No muffins!" Francis argued.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Reese, you can't just keep playing house like this! Mom and Dad did something really horrible to you, just like they did to me. Only _you_ can't let them get away with it! You don't belong here! You belong at home!"

"Alright, fine. Tell me *one* thing about my life that would be better if I was still at home," Reese argued.

*LATER*

"Oh, for the love of God, Gale, let me keep my dignity!" a voice screamed from next door. "Okay, take my dignity, leave my kids!" Reese and I were laying in his bed, watching TV. I glanced up at him and we moved to the other side of the bed, only to hear,

"Just pull the trigger! In one second, it'll all be over! Come on, stop being such a coward and do it!"

"Oh My God!" I whimpered and hugged myself closer to him.

"Hey, Dave, is that you?" Reese called.

"Uhh...yeah," the guy said.

"What channel do you have on in there? It sounds better than what I'm watching."

"Reese!" I hissed, slapping him on the chest. "You moron!"

"What?"

*LATER*

"Hey! Let's get going, Reese! It's Ladies-Get-Free-Shrimp Night at the Red Lobster!" a guy cried, walking in the door. It was the next day and I was helping Reese with his homework.

"Don't you ever lock your door?" I asked him.

"Maybe I'll meet you down there. I wanted to get a jump on my homework," Reese replied.

"Hey! You already blew off Air Hockey Night _and _Put Luck Wednesday, but I was counting on you for tonight! I wanted someone to turn the conversation to my tongue trick," the guy said.

"I guess now that I'm on my own, I just feel like being more responsible," Reese said.

"I've got 3 kids, you don't see me talking about responsibility! Come on, I'm not taking no for an answer," the guy said, clapping his hands together.

"Okay, okay," Reese said, and followed him to the door.

"Reese!" I called after him, dumbfounded. After the guy had walked out the door, Reese shut it and locked it.

"There."

"Hey, Reese, you wanna take a break from homework?" I asked as he sat down.

"And do what?" he asked.

"I don't know...we could...watch Tv. Or...do..._other_ stuff," I said, stroking his arm.

"Like what?" Reese asked me, oblivious to what I was talking about, and I rolled my eyes.

"I don't know...just something to take your mind off of your homework."

"Like making more muffins?" Reese guessed, and I shook my head.

"How about floor sex instead?"

"Okay!"

*LATER*

I was lying on the carpet with nothing on except Reese's button-up plaid shirt that was unbuttoned, exposing my breasts and flat stomach. Reese had on nothing but a pair of boxers and was gently running his fingertips over my body, sending chills up my spine.

"Wait," I gasped. "Do you have a condom?"

"No, I left all mine back home. I could go ask one of the guys," Reese replied and I nodded. He jumped to his feet and ran out the door. I closed my eyes and stretched a little, awaiting my boyfriend's return.

***Malcolm's POV***

I was heading down the hallway to Reese's apartment when I saw a door was open. The number 5 was engraved on the door, meaning that it was Reese's apartment. I quickened my pace and peered in the apartment. What I saw stopped me in my tracks.

Maria was lying on the carpet and she seemed to be sleeping or something, and she was _naked,_ all except for a plaid shirt that he recognized to be Reese's. I had always thought of Maria as a sister, but suddenly I understood why Reese was with her. She was hot, no-_beautiful_ and sure, she was annoying at times, but she was also nice and funny and sweet and smart.

I shook those thoughts out of my head and looked up and down the hallway. Where was Reese? He was due back any second, no doubt and I didn't wanna be here, peeping on his girlfriend when he got back. So I took one last peek at Maria's naked body and sprinted down the hallway.

***Maria's POV***

"Maria, I'm back!" Reese cried, running in the room and shutting the door. I peeked at him through my eyelashes and smiled.

"Hi, baby." Reese ripped open the package and reached into his boxers and fumbled around for a while. I giggled and he glanced up at me and blushed.

"Come over here," I murmured and Reese did, and then kissed me. "I _love_ that you have your own place...that way we won't have to worry about anyone walking in on us."

"Mm-hmm," Reese again and we got started.

*LATER*

"Oh wow," I gasped. "Oh _wow!_"

"I know," Reese agreed as our chests heaved and we wiped the sweat off our foreheads.

"That was one of our best ever!" I cried and Reese nodded.

"Definitely."

*LATER*

"Mmm. This is amazing. I think the lemon zest really brings it to life," Reese said as we ate his dinner and I nodded.

"I agree. What's Dave having?" I asked, and Reese spoke into the wall,

"How's your dinner?"

"I'm having a half-frozen Lean Cuisine! It's not much of a last meal, if you ask me!" Dave barked and I smiled.

"Good for him!"

There was a knock on the door, and Reese got up to go get it. "Be right back."

"'Kaay!" I called, and put a little bit of Reese's dinner on my plate.

"What are you doing here?" Reese asked and I heard Hal ask,

"Can we come in?"

_Hal and Lois are here? Crap!_ I thought and quickly got on my knees and crawled into the bedroom. I would be in deep shit if they knew that I had been here for the last couple of days-_and_ nights. I kept the door open a crack so I could see and hear what was going on.

"Sure. You want some dinner?" Reese asked, and glanced back at where we were sitting, to see me gone.

"No thank you, Reese," Lois said, as she and Hal walked in.

"Seriously, I just got a convection oven, I could whip you a up a fentada (sp?) in like, 10 minutes."

"Reese, we came here to do something. It goes against all of our instincts and even as I'm about to do it, it doesn't feel right, but it seems our instincts aren't very good lately, so here it goes," Lois said.

"What is it?" Reese asked.

"Reese, we love you and we think you might be better off staying here."

"Really?"

"Honest to God, you seem to be doing much better without us. I mean, let's face it, with 17 years with us, you have spent more days in juvenile court than you have in school. But now, after 10 days on your own...you're a functioning member of society!" Hal explained.

"Wow. I must have really changed! I don't even wanna rub it in!" Reese cried.

"Mail call! Confiscated your Victoria's Secret catalogue, cuz kids your age shouldn't-" a guy started, barging into the apartment and handing Reese his mail. "You're entertaining."

"Teddy, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, this is my neighbor, Teddy."

"Hello," Hal said, extending his hand. Teddy murmured something to Hal and then left.

"This place isn't so bad!" Lois cried. "Next time we come, we can bring some plants!"

"Sweet! Hold on a sec," Reese said and started punching in a number on his landline. "Hi, I just got your Deluxe Platinum Card and I wanna activate it...2471...Now listen, I already transfered to a $3,000 balance from my Federal card over to my Spring Mills mutual card because I have an $8,000 limit. But since I'm already bumping against that, I might as well transfer everything to *yours* because it has a $20,000 limit."

"What the hell is he talking abo-? Oh, Reese," I moaned and slapped a hand to my forehead. I was in love with a moron.

"Sure, I'd love to talk to a supervisor," Reese said and Lois snatched the phone from him. "Hey, I was on the phone!"

"You've been using credit cards? How much have you spent?" Lois asked.

"10, 11 grand?" Reese guessed and I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping. "But I'm still *way* under the $20,000 limit!"

"How can you spend that much in 10 days?" Hal cried.

"Well, you know! I've got that new convection oven, and that made the refridgerator look kind of shabby, plus I had to buy new clothes every time _mine_ got dirty, and the giant gong in the bathroom? I mean, how do you guys do it?" Reese asked and I sighed. How could I have not noticed. Lois grabbed ahold of his ear, and Reese sunk to the ground, yelling, "Ow! OW!"

"Reese, I really owe you some thanks for giving me some faith in myself. The next few days I will be saying very little, I will be deciding on a punishment. Ideas are already popping into my mind, it's really very exciting! But I don't wanna get hasty and leave either of us feeling dissatisfied," Lois said and started to drag him out the door.

"You're gonna drag me all the way home?" Reese moaned.

"Well, we're taking your ear there, if the rest of you wants to come, that's fine, too," Hal said, and shut the door behind them.

I waited a few minutes to make sure they were really gone, and then I emerged from the bedroom and moved to our dinner. I put all of Reese's dinner onto my plat and plopped down in front of the TV. Hey, I might as well use it for one more day, considering my mom kicked me out.

Yeah, I forgot to mention that, didn't I? After Reese left when we had dinner that night, Mom and I had a big blowout-way worse than the last one-and she kicked me out.

I forked some of Reese's dinner into my mouth when my cell phone rang. It was Mom. Again. This must make it her 57th call over the last 10 days. I'm pretty sure she's shocked I've lasted this long and is suspecting that I'm lying, dead in a ditch somewhere.

I sighed and looked around. I obviously wouldn't be staying here anymore, so I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Maria! Thank God you're alright!" my mom moaned, and I could tell she was crying. Oh, God.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."

"Where are you? I'm coming to pick you up!"

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" I mocked.

"Maria, I'm sorry, just _please_ come home! I don't know where you are and I need to know that you're safe!"

"What happened to 'I never want to see your stupid, ungrateful ass in this house again'?"

"I'm _sorry_ about the fight, honey! I need you home again!" She wouldn't keep groveling for much longer, so I had to make my point and jump on the chance to go back home. Quick.

"Fine. I'll be home before curfew, but I already ate dinner."

"Oh, Thank God! Wait, what do you mean, you'll be home before curfe-?" I hung up the phone and finished my dinner before settling back on the couch to watch cartoons. I would go home when I was good and ready.

_~You're a DORK, but that's why I LOVE YOU.~_


	25. Experiment

_**Experiment**_

"...what do you think I've been doing for the last 2 weeks?" Malcolm yelled at Stevie as Reese and I walked in.

"Hey, hey, what's going on here?" I asked, and Reese shouted,

"When am I getting my room back? I can't work on my Sexy Face out there in front of Mom!" I tried to stifle my giggles, and Reese glared at me. "What are you guys doing in here, anyway?"

"We're trying to create a new restriction enzyme (sp?)! What does it _look_ like?" Malcolm asked.

"You're messing up my room for _that?_"

"This is important! Restriction enzymes are used for chromosome mapping, DNA testing, gene splicing. It's for a big national competition. If we win this, our paper will be published in a scientific journal. We'll probably be able to write our ticket to any college in the country!" Malcolm explained.

"Then everyone...will pay," Stevie said.

"Did you get any of that?" I asked Reese and he shook his head. Malcolm kept rambling on:

"Only our incubator keeps breaking down, plus we're running low on agar, we're *completely* out of blood, our yeast keeps getting contaminated-"

"Maybe I can help," Reese said and Malcolm and Stevie looked at each other before Malcolm said,

"That's okay, Reese. If we need a head caught in a waste-paper basket, we'll give you a call."

"Hey!" I yelled, and expected Reese to yell, too, but he just said,

"Why do you do that? I offered to help you and you turn around and make it about me being stupid! Seriously. I might have something to contribute! Why don't you just give me a chance?"

*LATER*

"That's 2 pints," Malcolm said, squeezing the bag of blood that they took from Reese's arm. "We'd better not take any more."

"Are you sure you're okay doing this, babe?" I asked.

"This is so exciting! I feel like I'm gonna faint!" Reese cried, and my eyes widened.

*LATER*

Reese was fiddling with some test tubes in the kitchen, because he wanted to help Malcolm and Stevie with their experiment. Little did he know, it was just food coloring, but I didn't wanna spoil his mood.

"Here ya' go," I said, handing Dewey a few 10 dollar bills and he handed me 4 candy bars.

"Thanks, Maria!" he cried, and I smiled.

"No problem, kiddo."

"Maria, guess what?" Reese cried and I glanced over at him.

"What?"

"If you mix blue and yellow, you get an entirely new color!" Reese cried, holding up a test tube filled with green liquid. "It's...blellow!"

_He does know that's green, right?_ I thought, but just smiled and asked, "I wonder if Malcolm would be impressed?"

"You're right! I'll be right back!" Reese cried, and ran into his bedroom. Reese was like a little kid running to show his mommy something he made, but I couldn't help it. It was cute.

"I can't _believe_ Mom's making me sell all these candy bars!" Dewey moaned, and I grinned.

"The horror!"

"Hey, do you remember 2 years ago when Malcolm told you I had a crush on you?" Dewey asked and I nodded.

"Yepp. Lemme guess, he was lying?"

"No," Dewey said, blushing. "but I don't have a crush on you anymore."

"A 2-year crush over so soon? Who's the new lady?" I asked, but Dewey's eyes widened and he ran out of the room.

*LATER*

"Hello...trade school," Stevie said, sighing and I glanced up at him from reading a comic book over Reese's shoulder. It was the next day, in case you didn't know.

"I wish Reggie would kill Archie and take over this comic," Reese complained.

"Malcolm, I need you to watch Jamie for a while," Lois said, walking in the room.

"Mom, we're at a _very_ critical point in our experiment!" Malcolm cried.

"I'm sorry, are you new? Steve, please explain how things work around here," Lois said, and Malcolm got up to face her and she shoved the bag full of baby stuff at him.

While Malcolm and Steve were watching Jamie, I continued to read the comic while Reese was bouncing a red, rubber ball against the wall.

"I'm bored," he moaned and I nodded.

"I know."

"This sucks."

"I know."

*LATER*

"Well, none of _these_ worked," Malcolm complained as he and Stevie came back in. "Maybe we should-" They crouched down next to the test tubes. "Oh My God!"

"What?" I asked, walking over to them to take a good look. "Whoa..."

"It...seperated!" Stevie said, and then Malcolm cried,

"YEAH! We did it! We made an enzyme! It's unbelievable! What'd you do to it?"

"I didn't...do anything," Stevie replied.

"What? Well, neither did I." Malcolm reached over to pick up the test tube and showed it to Stevie.

"Blellow!" he cried.

"Blellow? Isn't that just green-? Oh My God," I said, and Reese came out of the bathroom.

"Hey, guys."

*LATER*

"How did...you do it?" Stevie asked after their millionth failed attempt at trying to get the other test tubes to seperate.

"I didn't do anything!" Reese replied.

"Look, we're not mad at you. We just need to know what you did!" Malcolm said.

"Why are you always blaming me?"

"Reese, you did a good thing! You somehow got this thing to seperate. You must have added something! What was it?"

"Oh. I just...I don't know if I can even remember," Reese said.

"Just try," I told him.

"I mean, I wasn't paying that much attention and there was this other stuff going on, and I'm not sure why I'd tell you if _you're not gonna give me credit!_" Reese yelled.

"What?" Stevie cried.

"This is a big contest. Big enough for the 3 of us. Either we split the credit 3 ways, or _I'm_ not talking!"

"You are picking the wrong guys to mess with, Reese," Malcolm snarled.

"Yeah!" Stevie agreed. "Let's tattle."

*LATER*

"Do you *really* want credit in a stupid Science competition?" I asked Reese while Malcolm and Stevie were tattling.

"Yeah! I'm tired of everyone treating me like I'm stupid! I actually did something _good_ and I want credit!" I sighed.

"Okay. Hey, I'm outta here, so tell me how that goes."

"Where are you going?"

"Home. Cynthia and I are supposed to hang out today," I said and Reese rolled his eyes, but I ignored him.

"G'bye," I said, giving him a quick kiss and leaving. As I passed Malcolm and Stevie in the kitchen, I could feel their eyes on me. Literally, staring at me in awe. I turned back and they didn't look away.

"What?" I asked, and they were speechless.

"Uhh...you have a booger," Malcolm said and my hands flew to my nose.

"REALLY?" I shrieked and ran out of there as fast as I could.

But you know what the funny thing was? When I got home and checked in the mirror before Cynthia got there, I didn't have a booger. Or a pimple or anything. So why were they staring at me like that?

_~my heart is taken 3~_


	26. Reese Joins the Army: 1

_**Reese Joins the Army (1)**_

"Will someone please get my calculator out of the car?" Hal called and Reese jumped up from the couch.

"I'll get it!"

"I'll come with you!" I cried and ran after him. We ran out the door and I grabbed his hand before giggling while he twirled me in the air and then we ran from the chilly outside weather to the warm, toasty car.

Last week Reese and I had gotten into this massive fight that lasted for days, with loud screaming and mean name-calling, and it just got _way_ out of hand. Now we were in our make-up/honeymoon phase where we snuck off to do it any chance that we could.

We stripped our clothes off in a matter of seconds while we giggled and kissed and held each other. I softly kissed his neck and added my own thrusts to match his. I moved my lips to his, teasing him by barely kissing his mouth and proceding to kiss other parts of his face like his ears, cheeks, nose. He moaned, softly as I nibbled on his earlobe and continued to pleasure him just the way he liked it. After his orgasmic pleasures were over, I guess he felt it was _his_ turn to please _me,_ and believe me, he did.

"Okay, we should really get back inside," I said and Reese nodded.

"Right." We shoved our clothes back on and stumbled back inside the house.

"Well, we'll be studying!" Reese said, and Malcolm turned back to look at us. He stared at me and I nervously moved my hair to cover up my giant hickey and glanced at the one on Reese's neck.

"Wait, where's my calculator?" Hal asked.

"I'll get it," Reese offered and turned to walk out the door.

"I'll go with you!"

*LATER*

It was later that night, and I was lying in bed, dozing off to sleep when I heard someone tap on my window. I lazily looked over and then gasped and sat up.

"Malcolm?" I whispered, opening my window. "What are you doing here?"

"Maria, I _have_ to talk to you," Malcolm replied, climbing into my bedroom.

"Why? What's up?" I asked, and Malcolm grabbed my arm and kissed me.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" I cried, pushing him off of me. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I want you, Maria. I've never thought about _any_ girl this way, and-and I think I love you!" Malcolm blurted out and I sighed.

"Malcolm, you don't love me."

"_Yes,_ I do!"

"_No,_ you don't. You think you are, but you're not. Malcolm, you're not in love with me, you're in lust with me. What you have for me, it isn't love."

"Then what _is?_" Malcolm asked, but then I heard something rattle outside my window and I froze.

"Oh My God. Malcolm, quick! Get under the bed!" I hissed and he snaked underneath it just as Reese knocked on my window.

"Reese. What are you doing here?" I asked, opening the window as he clambered inside.

"Are your parents asleep?" he whispered.

"Yeah, yeah, I think so. But I thought you were working late!" I looked up and down at his appearance: he had on a nice, plaid shirt, khaki pants and dress shoes. "Why are you dressed so fancy?"

"Because I've been thinking about this moment for a long time, and I want it to be absolutely perfect. Maria, I love you and I want to be with you forever. So, when we get out of high school..." Reese took a deep breath and got down on one knee; I gasped when he pulled out a ring. "will you marry me?"

"Oh My Gosh!" I cried, my eyes welling up with tears. "That ring must have cost _so_ much!"

"So is that a yes?" Reese asked, and I nodded. He stood up and I jumped into his arms and buried my face in his neck. I could hear music being played from outside and I was _so_ happy. So happy that I forgot about Malcolm under the bed.

"What's that?" Reese asked and I looked up at him.

"What's what?"

"_That!_" he cried, pointing to a sneaker sticking out from under my bed, which quickly disappeared.

"Reese, wai-" I started, but Reese had already dragged Malcolm out from under the bed and they were standing face-to-face.

"Reese, this isn't what it looks like!" I begged, and Malcolm started begging for his life:

"Please don't kill me! Just break my fingers! Or if you need a rest, I'll just break them for you!"

"I just want you to be happy," Reese said to me, sadly and my jaw dropped.

"Reese...no...this isn't what you think. We weren't...I promise!" I stammered, but Reese just headed for the window.

"Reese, wait, please!" I begged, tears threatening to spill over and I grabbed onto his shirt to keep him from leaving, to keep him from leaving _me_. "I would never...! Please don't go! Let me explain, *please*!" Reese just shook his head and tore away from my grip.

"Goodbye, Maria," was all he said before climbing down the ladder, 20 doves exploding from behind him and then leaving my yard on a horse.

I stared at the place where he was once standing, my hand still balled into a fist where I had clung to him for the last time, clung to the one thing that was really _good_ in my life. That _made_ everything else good.

"Maria..." Malcolm said, touching my arm when tears started to slip down my cheeks, but I just glared daggers at him.

"This is your fault," I growled. "Get out."

"Maria-"

"GET! _OUT!_" I screamed, pointing towards the window, knowing and not caring that my parents had definitely heard. I could hear shuffling and cranky 'What the hell?'s coming from Jim and my mom down the hall and Leslie started to wail in the room across from mine, but all I cared about was watching Malcolm leave. I slammed the window shut behind him just as Jim and my mom turned the light on in my room and shuffled in like zombies.

"What is going _on_ in here?" Jim asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Honey, what happened?" Mom asked, sympathetically when she saw all of my tears, but I just shook my head. I couldn't talk about it. I couldn't.

*LATER*

I headed over to the Wilkerson's as soon as I got home from school the next day to sort things out with Reese. If I could just get him to listen to me, I would explain what had _really_ happened and he would beat the snot out of Malcolm, and then we would get back together. But what I saw when I got there wasn't remotely related to what I had in mind.

Lois was on the phone: "Don't worry, Hal, I will be there first thing in the morning!...Yes, I will bring your shaving cream and your toothbrush...No, Hal, do _not_ make a break for it!...Say it back to me...Okay. I love you." while Dewey was angrily practicing his keyboard and Malcolm and Francis (Francis is here?) watched the police search their house.

"That's not evidence, those are my birth control pills, I brought them with me!" Piama cried, running after a police officer.

"The beagle made a pointy foot. It's out of my hands, lady," the police officer replied.

"What the hell is wrong with you? At least leave me one!" Francis cried.

"Francis, don't make any more trouble than we already have," Lois said, and then turned to the police officer. "and _you_ do not have a warrant to vandalize our house. When this is all over, you are going to be chalking tires all the way from here to Montry All Pass!" Francis, Piama, Lois, and the police officer all started arguing.

"What's going on here? Where's Reese?" I asked Malcolm.

"He's gone," he replied and my eyes widened.

"_Gone?_ Where?"

"We don't know."

The police officer stormed out and Lois took a deep, calming breath. "Okay. The lawyer is supposed to meet me here at 7:00. If I'm late, feed him something, but not the tuna casserole, that has to last for the next 4 days. Hopefully, by that time, your father will have-somebody better do those dishes."

"Mom, don't worry. Do what you have to do, we'll look after the house," Francis said.

"I have to go. Don't let me forget to get your father's allergy medication, and pick up his suit for the hearing," Lois said as she headed for the door.

"You want me to do anything?" Malcolm cried after her.

"Well, you could try to steal your brother's girlfriend," Francis said. "Oh, wait, you already did that."

"So Reese is _gone?_" I whimpered, and Piama started forward to comfort me, but I ran past her.

"Francis!" I wailed and hugged myself to him, burying my head in his chest.

"I _know_ what I did was awful. Believe me, I _know!_ And I don't even want forgiveness! But I think if you all could just give me a chance, I could prove that I'm a better person than this!" Malcolm cried.

"My ass you're a better person!" I snapped. "Here's what I think of you 'as a better person', showing up at my house and making my boyfriend break up with me!" I reached up and gave him the finger.

*LATER*

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) hey. how ya' doin'?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) awful.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i hate malcolm, i hate him so much.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) i know. but if it makes u feel better, hes prolly *guilt-ridden* rite now.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) *gives small smile* that *dus* make me feel a teensy bit better.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) good.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) dus anyone have any idea where reese went?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) idk.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) u didnt ask them?

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) i havent been over there since a few days ago, wen i found out. im afraid tht i wont be able to handle it. francis and dewey will remind me too much of him and i feel like punching malcolm in the face every time i c him. im afraid itll just make everything worse.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) i highly doubt that.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) u do?

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) yea. i mean, sure u hate malcolm rite now but hes gonna be kissing ur ass the whole time ur there to get u to forgive him.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) which will never happen. becuz i HATE him.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) rite. and also, u said that francis has always made u feel better. like how he let u cry on his shoulder for an hour wen u found out? and how he was so nice to u wen u thought u were pregnant that one time? and how he tried to come to ur rescue wen reese had that party? maybe thats wat u need.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) *lifts up head* rly? u think wat i need to make me feel better is some big-brotherly love from francis?

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) YES. and also, im sure dewey is needing some big-sisterly love. cuz i doubt anyone's been paying attention to *him* for a while.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) *slaps hand to forehead* omg! i *totally* forgot about dewey! didnt he have a music competition this weekend? i bet no one even noticed!

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) exactly.

Cynthiagal: (sent by phone) they need u and u need them more than ever rite now.

Maria2hott: (sent by phone) ur ritee! im going over there! g2g!

_~Boys are like stars: there are millions out there but only one will make your dream come true.~_


	27. Reese Joins the Army: 2

_**Reese Joins the Army (2)**_

I _did_ go over there and they welcomed me with open arms. Especially Malcolm, who _was_ kissing my ass every second of the day, trying to get me to forgive him. Which would _never_ happen. Ever.

"See? You don't need grocery money if you can be creative," Francis said, forking macaroni from a macaroni-and-paste project that Dewey must have made years ago, into a boiling pot.

"I wish I had better news for ya', Hal, but the prosecution is very high-witnesses that can _all_ avoid going to prison themseles by blaming you," the lawyer said.

"How about my mystery guy?" Hal asked. I was standing by the pot by Franis and Dewey. "He's only got 6-months to live, he doesn't wanna die with a guilty conscience! He's gonna completely exonerate me. And he's not imaginary!"

"So how ya' been holding up, kiddo?" Francis asked me as he stirred the macaroni in the pot, and I shrugged.

"As best as I _can_ be, I guess. _You guys_ know what really happened, right? You guys know I didn't try to cheat on him and that it was all Malcolm's fault, right?" I asked, and Francis and Dewey both nodded.

"Yeah. We know."

*LATER*

"I saw the defendent hack through the proxty service fire wall and delete the SPP files without leaving any tracks," a woman said, glancing at Hal. We were in the courtroom, trying to prove that Hal was innocent when all the facts pointed towards guilty.

Another man: "I didn't totally understand it, but he said the Dummy Corporation could be used to launder all the money we sychered (sp?) off."

And another: "You can threaten my children all you want! I don't care! I have to tell the truth!"

"For God's sake, do _something!_" Hal hissed to his lawyer, who replied,

"Be patient. There's such a thing as too _much_ evidence. Eventually they'll get bored."

*LATER*

"The prosecution calls Gordon Walker," a woman said and Hal nodded back to the rest of us. This had to be a good sign...right?

"I was worried about what I would say when I got up here," Gordon said. "but deep down, I _knew_ I would have to tell the truth. There's a conspiracy going on here, and it's all been orchestrated by _that_ man." He pointed at Hal.

"...and after he delivered the last of the documents, he delivered the punchline of another racist joke," Gordon finished his story.

"No further questions," the woman said.

*LATER*

"With this many people lying, we've _got_ to be able to find something to trip one of them up!" Malcolm cried, searching through all the papers.

"That's right. But don't get our hopes up!" the lawyer said.

"Mom, I know you've had a rough time and your little projects are very theureputic for you, but Dad is in very big trouble. You have to start helping!" Francis whispered.

"Honey, I know this is a crisis, and believe me! I'm doing everything I can. I spent extra money on Quick-Drying glue so no matter how you shake it, the sequins won't fall off! After what happened at compulsteries, Rebecca's _really_ gotta nail her long program," Lois replied and I sighed.

"I'm going home, it's almost my curfew." I got various 'Bye's and then I was gone.

I cranked up the music as I drove home, trying to drown out my thoughts. _Focus on hating Malcolm. Focus on Hal's case. Focus on Dewey's first place trophy. Don't think about Reese._

I pulled over my mom's car to the side of the road and cut the engine before clutching the steering wheel and crying harder than I ever had before. Sobs rocketed through my body and my chest heaved. I felt like a huge piece of me was missing inside, and I felt...un-whole. I felt so empty, all the time and I hated it. No amount of love from Francis, Malcolm, or Dewey could ever fix me.

And to make it worse, my mom was still gloating about being right about Reese. Every time I show up there, she has a smug smile on her face and a big, steaming bowl of 'I Told You So'. You'd think that my mom would be trying to help me get over Reese, but no. _My_ mom was too busy throwing it in my face of how wrong I had been. I hated her more than I hated Malcolm, and it took me this long to realize that I always had. Hated her, I mean. She was always trying to control my life, and threw a fit if I wanted to make my own choices. And I was done.

*LATER*

I got 2 very important things that day: a phone call from Dewey and a letter from Reese. The phone call came first. I was lying in bed, feeling sorry for myself when my cell phone rang and I recognized it as the Wilkerson's land line, so I picked up.

"Hello?"

"Maria! Maria! Dad won his case!" Dewey cried, excitedly and I smiled.

"That's great. How's Lois?"

"She's fine, as in not insane anymore."

"Well, that's good. Anything else?"

"We got a letter from Reese." My whole world stopped moving.

"What?"

"Do you want me to read it to you?"

"Umm...yeah."

"Okay, just a second," Dewey said and murmured something to Francis in the background and then cleared his throat: "'Dear Family, I'm fine. I waited until I was a success to write to you. I finished basic training at the top of my class, my drill sergaent me I've earned some sort of reward-'"

"Reese joined the army?" I cut him off.

"Yeah!"

"Hey, uh, Dewey, I have to go, okay?"

"Uhh...okay. Bye."

"Bye, D," I said, and hung up. Then I sprinted downstairs and ran to the kitchen where I flipped through the mail: bill, bill, letter to Diane Gonzalez, bill, bill, letter for Jim Gonzalez, Jim, Jim, Mom, bill. I set down the stack of envelopes in disappointment. No letter.

Reese hadn't written to me.

"Hey. You looking for this?" I turned around and saw Katherine standing behind me, holding up a letter addressed to Maria Gonzalez from a Reese Jetson.

"Where did you get that?" I asked.

"I found it in the mail and figured I should grab it before Diane intercepted it. So...here," Katherine held out the envelope and I snatched it up.

"Thanks, Kat," I said, and ran up to my room before tearing it open:

_Dear Maria,_

_I don't really know why I'm writing to you, I just am. I joined the army and finished basic training at the top of my class, but only because I shut my brain off. I was much happier that way, because I didn't have to decide whether I was mad at you or if I still loved you. I think both. My drill sergaent told me that I've earned some sort of reward, and I think you'd be proud of me. That was all I wanted to say, really and that I miss you._

_Reese_

_~No. Not without you.~_


	28. June: Depression

**So these aren't diary entries, Maria's just thinking. But if it's easier for you to think it's diary entries, then go ahead and do that.**

**Rachel**

_**June: Depression**_

_Day 1_

_I can't get out of bed. Literally can't. My will to _not_ get out of bed has become so strong that it is now physically impossible. Not that I have any probelm with it._

_Ben's getting out of rehab, and Katherine is moving into her own place with Leslie. So I guess things are getting better for everyone. Except for me._

_I keep reading Reese's letter over and over and over, but I'm not sure why because every time I do, it just makes me cry. It seems like that's all I ever do these days is cry. I'm so, so sick of crying but I can't stop. I miss him so much. I can't help it. I still love him, and just knowing that Reese still loves me is the only thing that is keeping me sane. Now I just have to wait for him to come back._

_God, how pathetic is that?_

_Day 4_

_Everyone's the same. Either they're like Jim and Cynthia, and are nicely trying to talk me out of bed and get me to go out and _do_ stuff, or they're like Mom and Danny, and yell at me and tell me to "get the hell over it."_

_FML._

_Do none of them know what it's like to have a broken heart? Cynthia, no. And I couldn't expect Mom, being the evil, hearltess witch that she is, to understand, but what about Jim? He's _got_ to know what it's like! And Danny. He was in love with me for 5 years before he was gay, and I never returned the interest. That's gotta sting a little bit, right? Is it even possible that _no one_ knows what it's like to have a broken heart?_

_Day 9_

_So I've decided to "get the hell over it." Or at least make it look like I'm beginning to. I shoved Reese's letter, and all the poems he ever wrote me, along with the ring he gave me when he asked me to marry him, into a shoebox and shoved into the very back of my closet. And I went out to go see a movie with Cynthia earlier today. The movie sucked, but I guess that's okay as long as I got to spend some time with Cynthia. Even though I hate that it seems like everyone is walking on broken glass around me._

_It's like, I can handle it if you say Reese's name. I'm not gonna break down in tears, I'm a big girl. I can take care of myself. God._

_Day 13_

_I had a weird dream about Reese last night. It was our wedding day and Cynthia and Katherine were my bridesmaids, and Francis, Malcolm, and Dewey were the groomsmen. Everyone was there, our friends and family and it was the happiest day of my life. But then Malcolm pulled out a gun and shot Reese, and everyone was screaming. Reese just collapsed and there was blood everywhere and I was crying so hard. He literally died in my arms, and it was probably the most fucked up dream I had ever had in my entire life._

_And that's not even the weirdest part. Well, it is, but there's more to the dream. After Malcolm shot Reese, and he was dead, he pointed the gun at me and said that he would rather have me dead than with someone like Reese, and that I deserved better. Seriously, what the fuck? But then I kept crying and told Malcolm that I hated him, and Malcolm shot me, and I died, too._

_And then I woke up._

_I should try telling _that_ one to Graham and Dominick for a bedtime story, huh?_

_Day 18_

_I keep thinking about the day when Reese and I first started dating in the 7th grade. And now here I am, the summer before my junior year and totally heartbroken. I keep thinking that if I could go back in time and take it all back, I would. But I know that's all a big fat lie. Because if I hadn't gone out with Reese, I never would have loved him as much as I do now. And I never would have gotten as close to Francis, Malcolm, Dewey, and even Jamie. And more importantly, I would still be Alex's slave. Everything good in my life started when I went out with Reese, and now that he's gone, I feel like all of that is gone, too._

_I hate my life._

_Day 21_

_Even Danny has a boyfriend now. He came over today and was telling me all about their date or whatever, and how much he got to make out with his boyfriend. It's not fair! Danny gets to make out with _his_ boyfriend! So where's mine? Halfway across the world in the goddamn army. Actually, ex-boyfriend, I should say, but that just breaks my heart all over again._

_I've actually gotten out of bed lately, as you can see, since I said that Danny was over and I obviously wasn't crying under my covers while he was telling me his story, as much as I would have liked to have been doing that. But no, I had to get dressed and shower and put a smile for Danny to make it seem like everything was okay when it so obviously isn't._

_Day 25_

_Dewey called today. He asked me what I was doing, and why I hadn't been coming over there anymore. Apparentally, he had been trying to get a hold of me for a while and sure enough, when I turned my phone on, there were _tons_ of missed calls from the Wilkerson land line. My phone has been off for days because I have no desire to have any contact with the outside world. I only turned it on today because...well, I don't know why. I just did, and Dewey was lucky enough to catch me before I turned my phone off again after checking my messages._

_I told him that I was busy and sorry that I hadn't been able to hang out with them, and that I would try to make an appearance over there sometime, and I told him to say hi to Francis and Piama and Jamie for him. Hal and Lois, too._

_But not Malcolm._

_I could tell that he knew I was lying when I told him that I was fine and I was "just busy" but he didn't call me out on it. He just said that he wished I could come over because he was sick of Malcolm and Francis already. Ha. Dewey, gotta love him._

_Day 30_

_I just realized something. Reese totally misinterpreted the situation with me and Malcolm, and he didn't even stay to let me explain. He just ran off and did something stupid without even listening to me. Just like he always does. What a jerk! If he had just let me _talk_ to him, then this whole mess wouldn't be happening. But no. Reese had to do it _his_ way, just like always. God. What a tool._

_~"I love you." That's all I got to say, can't think of a better way. I love you, is that okay?~_


	29. July: Anger

_**July: Anger**_

_Day 32_

_I hate Reese so much for going off and joining the army. I read his stupid letter now and I just roll my eyes. 'I was a lot happier that way because I didn't have to decide whether or not I was mad at you or if I still loved you. I think both.' Seriously? What does he have to be mad at _me_ about? I didn't do anything wrong! _He_ was the one who wouldn't stick around long enough to let me tell him why he didn't have to be mad at me._

_Day 43_

_Everyone is getting on my nerves lately. Everyone seems so _relieved_ that I've got over my "depression phrase" as Jim calls it. It irritates me when Danny goes on and on about his new boyfriend, and so does Cynthia's happy-preppy attitude. Graham and Dominick are so little and innocent and co-dependent on Mom and everyone else and even _that_ bugs me._

_I still feel like hanging out in my room by myself for the rest of my life, but not for the same reason as before. Before, it was because I wanted to curl up on my bed and cry, but now it's just because I hate everyone else. Really _hate_ them._

_Day 51_

_I'm scared. Really, truly scared. I'm terrified of how much I hate everyone else. I feel like I'm just a big, fiery ball of anger and hate, and I can't get rid of it. I hate my friends and my family, and I hate when they talk to me. But what's worse than that is how much I hate the Wilkersons. I hate Reese for leaving me. I hate Malcolm for making Reese leave me. I hate Dewey for not being as sad about Reese's disappearance as he should be. I hated Francis for not magically snapping his fingers and making everything better, even though that's not physically possible._

_But what really scares is how _much_ I hate them. I hate the all: Reese, Malcolm. Dewey, Francis, Jamie, Hal, Lois, and Piama. ALL of them. So much that it makes me cry. Not the tears I cried before. These tears are hot and angry, and I'm crying because I don't want to hate anymore, but I don't know how to shut it off._

_But the really scary part is that I _don't_ hate them. Any of them. Even Malcolm. These are the people that I love more than anything in the world, and I couldn't hate them if I tried. Even Malcolm._

_Day 60_

_I figured out. I figured out how to shut off the hate._

_Day 61_

_Well, I did it. I went over to the Wilkerson's today. I wanted some more news on Reese, and I wanted to let Dewey know that I still cared, and I wanted to say hi to Francis. I did all of those things: no news on Reese, Dewey was thrilled to see me, and Francis says hi back. But that's not why I _really_ went over there. I went over there to talk to Malcolm, and to tell him that I forgive him for what happened._

_And I do. I _do_ forgive him. And the hate is gone._

_When we talked, I told him why I forgave him, and I started crying and Malcolm almost started crying, too, and he said that he felt really bad about what happened and it _was_ his fault, and he didn't know how to make himself better, because what if Reese died?_

_Which made me realize: Reese is in the army. And he could die._

_~addicted to kisses 3~_


	30. August: Realization

_**August: Realization**_

_Day 62-90_

_Reese could die. I just can't get over that. He could be lying dead somewhere as we speak, and I just...can't. I don't hate him anymore, I still love him and I just want him to come home._

_~YOU will be the answer when someone asks me what I'm thinking about.~_


	31. Reese Comes Home

_**Reese Comes Home**_

I was sitting on the Wilkerson's couch, watching TV when Lois came strolling in.

"Hi, Lois. What took you so long to get here? Hal's been worried," I said.

"I had to take the bus home-I sold the car. I got a plane ticket to Cabul and I have $400 left. I'd give it to Hal to pay the Visa bill, but I need it for bribes," Lois explained and I frowned.

"Why are you going to Cabul?"

"I'm gonna go get him." My face lit up.

"Reese? You're going to bring him back?"

"Yes. Tonight I'm going to buy enough frozen dinners to last this family 3 weeks, then tomorrow, I'm flying to Cabul. If I don't get anywhere with the army, I'll hire an interpreter and get the locals to help me. If I have to, I'll make friends with a war lord. Those guys are pretty organized! I'll find him, Maria. I promise," she said and I smiled at her.

"Thank you."

*LATER*

I walked across the kitchen to grab up the mail off the table. I flipped through the papery envelopes on my way to the fridge, and grabbed a popsicle out of the freezer. A green one, cuz the green ones are the _best_.

The doorbell rang throughout my house, making me jump up in shock. I shut the freezer door and put the mail back on the kitchen table before answering the door. I threw the door open and nearly gagged on my popsicle.

"Reese."

"Hey," he said and I just stood there, gaping at him.

"Umm...you're back," I stammered, and he nodded. "And you're not dead." He nodded again, and this time he cracked a smile.

"Yeah." We were quiet for a few seconds before he asked, "Are your parents home?"

"What? Oh! No! Come in," I said, and awkwardly stood aside while he stepped inside, with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his baggy shorts.

"Malcolm told me what happened," Reese said. "and I'm really sorry I didn't stick around to let you explain."

"Yeah. Me too," I said, stiffly. It was weird. I would have thought that I would have been jumping all over Reese when he came back, or that I hated him, but I didn't feel like doing either.

"So...I was just wondering..." he started, and I cut him off.

"Reese, I don't think we can get back together." _What the hell are you saying?_ I screamed at myself from inside my head, but I kept my cool.

"Why?"

"You really hurt me, Reese, and this was the worst summer of my life. I'm not saying that we can _never_ get back together, in fact, I really want to. Just not right now, okay?" Reese ducked his head down to stare down at his shoes, unwilling to look at me.

"Okay." He started for the door, but I stopped him.

"But I still want us to be friends, if that's okay?" I asked, and he grinned.

"You mean you still want to come over to my house after school?" I blushed.

"I mean, yeah kinda, if you would let me. I would really miss Malcolm and Dewey, and _you,_ too..." I trailed off.

"Yeah, that's okay," Reese said, and we just stood there, unsure of what to do. Reese opened his arm for a hug and I wrapped my arms around his torso, and let his strong arms squeezing me against him.

I looked up at him and then the next thing I knew he was kissing me and I was kissing him back. "Uhh..." I said, stepping back.

"I should get going," Reese said, and I nodded and he bolted out the door.

_~JUST THE THOUGHT OF BEING WITH YOU TOMORROW GIVES ME THE STRENGH TO GO ON TODAY.~_


	32. Pearl Harbor

_**Pearl Harbor**_

I was sitting in between Malcolm and Reese on their couch while we were watching some gay documentary or something.

"This blows! Get up and change the channel!" Malcolm cried.

"I didn't lose the remote, _you_ get up and change the channel!" Reese argued.

"I didn't lose it either!"

I was about to get up and change it myself when the back door slammed and in came a ranting Jessica: "So the cops let my dad off with another warning! We have lived in this neighborhood for 3 weeks and they _still_ haven't carted him off yet!"

"NO! Jessica, you don't get to keep barging in here every day like you own the place! Go back outside and knock! And then _go away!_" Reese cried, but Jessica ignored him and continued complaining.

"Seriously, what do you have to do to get dubbed for drunk and disorderly around here? He was out on the curb in his underpants rolling burning trash cans into the street!"

"Hi, Jessica," I called, lamely over my shoulder.

"Hi, Maria!" she said and started walking towards the TV and changed it just as: "Coming up next! The finals for the Strongest Man in the World Competition!" came blaring on.

"What are you doing?" Reese asked when she changed the channel and wormed herself in between me and Malcolm on the couch.

"Watching House of Stlye," she replied.

"You _don't_ get to change our TV! Malcolm, back me up here!"

"Reese, give her a break."

"Why? We live in just as big a stinkhole as she does! Where do we get to escape to?"

"Reese, you're right," Jessica said. "This is your house. If you don't wanna watch it, you can get up and change it." Reese started to get up, but then sat back down again with a smirk.

"Nice try."

"For the love of God, _I'll_ change it!" I said, getting up, but Reese pulled me back down again.

"No! Because then she wins!" I rolled my eyes and settled back down on the couch again.

*LATER*

"Jessica, your pasta recipe is _terrific._ Look at us! Eating healthy for once!" Lois cried over dinner. Last week she was gushing about how nice it was that I was still hanging around here even after Reese and I broke up, but I guess I was old news. "Reese, you want some more?"

"No! She took over the TV, *now* she's taken over dinner! This isn't even food!" Reese protested.

"Reese, it's just low-fat," Jessica said.

"And if you knew _anything_ at all about food, you'd know that fats and oils are the vehicles by which flavor travels! Fat is what makes things _taste_ good. That's why a wise and loving God created fat in the first place!"

"She is a guest in our home and I think it's delicious," Lois hissed to Reese and put more pasta on his plate.

"Do you think we should cut up some of these guys so there's more body parts floating in the water?" Dewey asked Hal, as they were playing with their army men, and I glanced over at them. I was sitting in between Dewey and Jessica, and across from Malcolm and Reese.

"Okay, I have a little announcement to make," Lois said. "You know how last year, with the conspiracy trial and your father and me losing our jobs, we ended up $20,000 in debt?"

"Yeah," Malcolm said.

"Well, after 6 months of scrimping and saving and going up to $28,000 in debt, we are now _down_ to _$26,000_ dollars in debt!"

"Look out, world! We're back!" Hal cried, and I smiled at Lois.

"Congratulations."

"I know how much you boys have sacrificed, giving me your pay checks and working extra shifts, and well, we thought you guys deserved a reward," Lois explained.

"Really?" Reese cried.

"So, your dad and I are taking the whole family _and_ Jessica and Maria, to see a _musical!_"

"Gross!" I yelled.

"A _what?_" Reese asked.

"A musical! From Broadway. It's called _Mamma Mia!_ They take all those old ABBA songs like Dancing Queen and Fernando and stick some story in between," Lois said.

"Oh My God, you're serious!" Malcolm said.

"7 partially obstructed seats! At first I thought of treating you boys to a rock concert or MotorCross or something like that, but then Jessica told me about this and I thought it sounded perfect!"

"Wow! I just mentioned it because it was interesting, I didn't think you were gonna take me! What a nice _surprise!_" Jessica cried.

*LATER*

Reese and I were walking to his house from the high school, complaining about the musical. Jessica passed us as we walked through the door.

"Thanks a lot for sticking us with that stupid show," Reese shot at her.

"I didn't do it for me, I did it for your brother," Jessica replied, calmly.

"Malcolm's gay? I knew it!" Reese cried, and I blinked in shock.

"Malcolm's gay?" I asked her and she glanced over at Reese, who left the kitchen in a hurry.

"Yeah. And according to Malcolm, Reese is gay, too."

"What?" I asked, frowning and tried to piece the whole thing together. "Ohh!" I stifled my giggles. "_Oh,_ I get it now!" Jessica smirked.

"Yeah."

*LATER*

It was the next day and Reese and I came home to the Wilkerson's again, and Malcolm was fixing himself a sandwich.

"You want half?" he asked Reese, who shook his head and made his way to the counter.

"I'll fix my own." I sat down on the couch and shut the TV off, then turned around to watch my own show.

"Peanut butter's good, too. Nothing wrong with having peanut butter," Malcolm commented when Reese pulled out a jar of peanut butter.

"What?" Reese asked.

"Just because _I'm_ having ham doesn't mean _you_ have to have ham. Just because we're brothers doesn't mean we have to enjoy the same thing, right?"

"Exactly! Everybody's diferent. It'd be stupid to try to force you to try something I liked."

"Right," Malcolm agreed. "Plus, it wouldn't work, anyway. People can't help what they like. It's just the way they're born."

"I know! Like me. I've never liked...ham," Reese explained.

"Really? Cuz I think, maybe if you tried it..."

"No!" Reese cut him off. "But that's me. I'm not putting it down or anything."

"I hear you. There's no...right sandwich." I slapped a hand over my mouth to keep from cracking up right there. This was fucking _hilarious._ "So, umm...the ABBA thing."

"Should be great!" Reese cried.

"Yeah. Just great," Malcolm agreed. "Hey. Have a good snack."

"You too." When Malcolm left the room with his sandwich, I burst into a fit of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Reese asked, and I just shook my head, unable to form words.

*LATER*

"What a wonderful night! How can they say the theatre is dead when a spectacle like that is being _bust_ all over the country?" Lois gushed to Jessica and me as we walked in their house after show. Worst musical ever, by the way.

"Yeah. Who knew you could use the same 3 cords _over_ and over and people would sit through it for 2 hours?" Dewey asked, who followed us inside, followed by Hal and Jamie, and then Malcolm and Reese.

"You could be Mr. Fancy Pants and Music Snob if you like, but _everyone else_ loved it!" Lois said.

"Thank you for inviting me, I had so much fun!" Jessica squealed, and I nodded.

"Yeah, Lois. Thanks for inviting me."

"Yeah, me too. I especially liked the part where th father was stabbed in the back by his son," Hal said.

"That wasn't in the show, Hal," Lois replied.

"Well, I saw it somewhere," Hal stated and then glanced at Dewey. Lois turned to Malcolm and Reese and said,

"Well, I'm glad you boys _liked_ it so much! I've never seen you like this. You didn't stop smiling at each other all night!" Jessica and I exchanged humored glances.

"How could you not love a show like that?" Malcolm asked.

"Yeah! Nothing _creepy_ about it at all!" Reese agreed.

"You guys wanna listen to the CD again?" Jessica asked, moving her way to the CD player.

"_Again?_" Malcolm cried, and then looked at Reese. "Oh! Oh yeah!"

"I could listen to it forever!" Reese said. Jessica popped the CD into the player and then hopped over to Lois, and they started singing when it came over. I scooched over to stand by Dewey so we could look at them and roll our eyes at each other.

I glanced at Malcolm and Reese, who were now dancing and singing along to the music, eyeing each other awkwardly. I snickered and elbowed Dewey in the ribs to get his attention. Lois and Jessica stopped dancing, and even Hal stared.

*LATER*

The next day again, and I was watching TV on the couch with Jessica, Malcolm, and Reese. I was in between Reese and Jessica, and I was eating popcorn out of a bowl in Jessica's lap.

"This is nice. What'd you think of the bersachi (sp?)?" Jessica asked Malcolm.

"Well, uh, it has a nice drape. It seems like a...kicky look for fall!" Malcolm replied, nervously.

"Yeah. I think it's...yummy?" Reese said. He and Malcolm both reached for popcorn at the same time, and screamed and jumped up from the couch when their hands touched.

"Okay. You know what? This is stupid. We _have_ to talk about this!" Malcolm said.

"Right! I mean, just because it's weird, doesn't mean we can't handle it," Reese agreed.

"Right! We've been through everything together. We shouldn't be pussy worrying about it. I got you something."

"Hey, I got _you_ something." Reese and Malcolm moved to the kitchen table and Jessica and I turned around to watch.

"Really? See, this is what I'm talking about. We're being _open_ and supportive and honest with each other," Malcolm said and handed Reese a pamphlet, and accepted a videotape from his older brother. "Here."

"What's this?" Reese asked.

"It's called, 'If You're Gay, I'ts O.K.' It's full of *great* resources. What's this?"

"Naughty Pool Boys 3. I watched 10 or 12 of these, and this one seems to have the most stuff you guys like."

"Wait. I'm not gay, you're gay," Malcolm said.

"I'm not gay, you are!" Reese cried.

"I'm not gay!"

"Malcolm, check out what they're doing in that movie, and then _tell me_ you're not gay."

"No, this is-she said-" Malcolm said, and they turned to glare at Jessica, who started cracking up on the spot. I started to laugh, but quickly shut up when I saw how pissed Malcolm and Reese were.

"Oh My God...Oh My God, I _never_ thought it was gonna turn out this good!" Jessica gasped through her laughter.

"Stop laughing," Reese growled.

"I can't! With the dancing...when you did that little...Oh My God, it was so sweet!" she cried, still laughing and got up from the couch. "There's nothing more I can say, you guys make me so happy! Oh God, it hurts...well...well...I better go drag my dad out on the lawn. He likes to fall asleep right next to the toilet. See you guys at dinner!" And then she was gone.

"Vendetta," Reese murmured.

"How could she be so-" Malcolm started.

"VENDETTA!"

"Yes. Vendetta. Reese, I _promise_ we'll get back at her! But we've got to be careful. She's got Mom _totally_ on her side!"

"Oh yeah."

"It's tricky. Somehow we've gotta figure out a way to turn Mom against her."

"Okay, got it."

"What?"

"It's a little risky. But I'll tell you one thing: no one calls me gay and gets away with it!" Reese cried and then jumped on Malcolm, planting his mouth on his brother's neck.

"REESE!" I screamed in disgust.

*LATER*

"Boys, come get the groceries!" Lois called from the kitchen and we all stood up.

"It's time," Malcolm said and we all walked out into the kitchen.

"I hope this means we can eat soon!" Malcolm moaned, and Lois stopped him on his way to get the groceries.

"Hold it. What's that?"

"What?"

"_That._"

"A turtleneck. What do you care?"

"You don't wear turtlenecks."

"Can I just get the groceries so we can eat? I've got a _ton_ of homework I need to-" Lois cut him off by pulling down the turtleneck to reveal a huge, swelling hickey.

"Aha!"

"Mom, don't!" Malcolm cried.

"Who gave you that?"

"None of your business! What's your problem, anyway? Can't you go 5 seconds without butting into my life?" Malcolm yelled, and then glanced at Jessica. Lois whirled around to face her.

"What?" Jessica asked.

"It wasn't her, Mom! I _swear!_ You always think you know everything, but you're _wrong!_ You're _dead_ wrong this time!"

"I think you and I need to have a little talk," Lois said to Jessica.

"But I didn't-"

"Come on." Lois and Jessica went to Lois's room.

"When your mom comes out, she's gonna want to know what I said to you about this: make up something good," Hal said to Malcolm. A blue light flooded in through the window and music blasted from across the street. Hal, Reese, Malcolm, Dewey, and I peered out the window to see an amazing display of decoration for Pearl Harbor.

"Cool!" I cried, and Hal glared at me, and then snarled,

"He did it to me _again!_"

_~love is.. you and me.~_


	33. Billboard

_**Billboard**_

I plopped down on my couch, next to my mom and dug my hand into the bowl of popcorn that she had on her lap. "What are we watching?"

"The news," she replied, numbly and I frowned at her.

"What's wrong?"

"Your boyfriend is on the news."

"He's not my boyfriend anymore, Mom. We broke up, remember? You practically threw a party when I told you-" I stopped my myself. "What do you mean Reese is on the news?"

"Him _and_ his brothers. They're protesting Women's Rights." I stifled a laugh.

"They're protesting _what?_"

"Women's Rights. They're standing up on a billboard for a strip club and refuse to come down until 'women get the respect they deserve.'" I turned my attention towards the television, where a newslady was reporting live from the scene:

"Over here we have the proud mother of these 3 young protesters. What do you want the nation to know about your boys?" the newslady asked, thrusting a camera in Lois's face.

"No comment," Lois snarled and stormed off. The newslady turned her attention to Hal.

"So you must be the father. Can we get some comment from you?"

"I...I don't know that I really wanna sound odd," Hal murmured.

"How do you feel about your sons' _extroardinary_ sensitivity to women's issues?"

"Well, Diane, in our house we emphasize the rights of _all_ people. I tried to pass along what I like to call 'core values': equality, respect, compassion, nutrition. We have something called the 'Clean Plate Club.'"

"We _have_ to go down there!" I said, jumping up from the couch. I knew those boys well enough to know that they weren't as hell up there to support Women's Rights, and I wanted to find out what they were _really_ doing up there in the first place.

"Do you want to?" Mom asked, setting the bowl of popcorn down beside her.

"Yeah!"

*LATER*

Mom didn't shut up the whole car drive there. She kept going on and on about how it was about time someone stood up for Women's Rights and how she had misjudged Reese all these years.

"People! The battle before us may be long, but we will not stop until we _end_ the oppression! Women of the world _unite!_" Malcolm cried and he, Reese, and Dewey lifted up their hands and the women in the crowd cheerd, my mother along with them.

"That's your friend Malcolm, right? Reese's brother? The braniac? I always liked him-that kid's going places!" my mom cried, and I rolled my eyes. My ass she had always liked Malcolm-she had always _hated_ him, along with everyone else in Reese's family.

I felt someone tap on my shoulder and I turned around. Not that my mom seemed to notice: she had wandered over by some of the other feminist moms and middle-aged women.

"Hi, Maria!" a girl who was vaguely-familiar cried. "It's me! Wendy Fidderman! From middle school cheerleading?" And then I remembered. Wendy Fidderman was a year older than me (a senior while I was still a junior), and we cheered for the Wildcats at our old middle school together. She had been the team captain and we were friends, but most importantly, she was Reese's ex-girlfriend. Another thing we had in common.

"Oh yeah! What are you doing here, Wendy?" I asked.

"I saw Reese on the news and practically _sprinted_ down here! I've never seen this side of him before and I _love_ it! As soon as he gets down from there, I'm gonna see if he wants to go out again!" She shot me a nervous glance. "You guys _did_ break up, right?"

"Uhh...yeah. We did," I stammered and she clapped her hands together.

"Great! Oh My God, I'm _so_ excited! Reese was my first real boyfriend, you know? But we were just kids back then, but *now* it'll get serious.." Wendy trailed off and I gazed, sadly up at my ex-boyfriend who would soon become my ex-boyfriend forever if Wendy got what she wanted.

"THERE MAY BE THOSE WHO WILL TRY TO DRIVE A WEDGE BETWEEN US. BUT IF WE'VE LEARNED NOTHING ELSE TONIGHT, WE'VE LEARNED TO STAND _TOGETHER!_" Malcolm shouted followed by more cheering and my mom shooting me an excited look.

***Third Person: Reese's POV***

"Can you believe these cows _actually_ think we're on their side?" he scoffed, staring down at the fat and ugly pigs grinning up at him and his brothers. It was disgusting. One of them yelled,

"We love you boys!" and he shot out a fist and cried back,

"Right on, sister!" Then he muttered under his breath, "Check out that pig." Was this how all women ended up looking? Just the thought of it made him shudder.

"Hey, you shouldn't talk about them like that. They've been really nice to us," Dewey argued.

"Yeah. And they really believe in this stuff," Malcolm said.

"That is such a load! Every woman down there is just here because they're jealous," Reese said, matter-of-factly.

"Of what?" Malcolm asked.

"Of the fact that they're not hot enough to be strippers! They act like they're all offended, but really they're just mad about their own _giant butts!_ Believe me, in their heart-of-hearts, every woman wants to be her." He pointed to the girl on the billboard. Even Maria had told him that she wanted to be a stripper once. Or was it a model? Something like that.

"What about Mom?" Malcolm challenged, and Reese quickly swatted away the image of his mother in a stripper outfit before it could infiltrate his mind.

"We're not talking about moms! We're talking about women," he said, and sat down next to Dewey.

"So all women want to be strippers? There are no women in the world who want to be doctors or lawyers or-or anything like that?" Malcolm argued, and Reese rolled his eyes. What did Malcolm know about girls? Nothing.

"Cut the act, Malcolm. They can't hear you. Just because they look like dogs, doesn't mean they hear like dogs."

"I'm sleeping on the other side," Dewey snapped and moved himself away from Reese, as did Malcolm.

"Come on, I was just being honest!" he called after them. How could they not see what was right in front of them?

"Pshh. So whipped," he murmured, settling down in his sleeping bag. Reese was so glad that Maria didn't have him whipped like that anymore. He glanced down at the crowd and saw her staring up at him (What the hell? Maria's here?) and when she saw him look at her, she waved. His face lit up and he waved back down at her. Maybe he _wasn't_ so over her. A girl standing next to Maria started jumping up and down and frantically waving up at him. Reese squinted. Who the hell was that?

"Wendy?" he murmured, and remembered how crazy about Wendy he had been in the 7th grade. A year before he met Maria. What was Wendy doing here?

_Wait a second,_ he thought. _Wendy and Maria are both here? This campaign really *is* attracting women to me!_

_"Reese." Someone was calling out his name. "Reese." Who was it? He opened his eyes and there she was: the beautiful blonde stripper from the billboard._

_"I've been wanting to talk to you," she said, smiling. _She_ wanted to talk to _him?

_"Really?" he asked, and scrambled to his feet._

_"Yeah, sugar. I had to wait for your brothers to go to sleep. You don't want to share me, do you?"_

_"Everyone's mad at me. Malcolm and Dewey think I'm a jerk," Reese admitted and the blonde crawled closer to him._

_"You're not a jerk! You're just little. _I_ think you're cute as a bug," she said and he blushed. "Do you want me to kiss you?"_

_"Uhm...yes, ma'am!" he stammered, nodding frantically and then pursed his lips and shut his eyes. He hadn't gotten any action in _so_ long! Reese felt the stripper's lips purse his entire face and she leaned back, smiling._

_"Wow!" he cried and pulled out a hankerchief (where the hell did that come from?) to wipe the lipstick off his face._

_"Damn tootin' wow!"_

_"So, will you take off your giant top?" Everyone thought he was a perv, anyways._

_"Do you have a giant dollar?"_

_"I'll get a whole bunch if you come back again!" he cried, and then thought, _PLEASE let her come back again!

_"I'll come back every night if you want." Every night?_

_"You're _so_ great! Sometimes Maria won't even talk to me!"_

_"Well, listen. If she's not willing to talk to you or dance on a pole, she's not really your friend. You don't need her. You have _me._ I'm perfect. I'm the only woman in the world for you, Reese."_

_"You are?" She was? This girl _was_ perfect. She didn't have a single flaw, and yet, all Reese could think about was what Maria would look like if she was naked and dancing on a pole. _God, she's so hot.

_"Of course! I'm 60 feet tall, my skin is 5 inches thick. No matter how creepy and insensitive and thoughtless you are, you can't hurt me!" the stripper cried, smiling down at him._

_"That's all I ever wanted. Why can't all women be as perfect as you? Why can't Maria be as perfect as you?"_

_"Well, I'm not real, sugar."_

_Crap. "Oh yeah."_

_"You just dreamed me up as a super sexy way to face the fact that you let Maria go and now you're gonna live the rest of your life alone." _What?_ This dream wasn't so fun anymore. Reese didn't want to be alone anymore, let alone for the rest of his life._

_"But that's not for sure...is it?" It can't be...can it?_

_"You wanna know the saddest part? You're gonna wake up before you can think of anything really good to do with me."_

_"Wait! We can't just give up on this! Wait!" he cried, but the stripper just waved, sadly at him._

_"Don't leave me! DON'T LEAVE ME!" he yelled, but she was gone._

_"I'm right here. God." Reese whirled around and saw Maria grinning at him with his hands on her hips._

_"Maria!" he cried, grabbing her by the shoulders. "I missed you so much!" She smirked._

_"You saw me yesterday, freak."_

_"No, not like that. I love you." Maria rolled her eyes._

_"God, you're pathetic."_

_"What?"_

_"Well, I _don't_ love you! There was a _reason_ I didn't wanna get back together, Reese, and not because 'you really hurt me' and all that crap. It's because I'm _doing it with your brothers!_" And then Maria was gone, and replaced by a sweaty, naked Maria underneath a sweaty, naked Malcolm, who was kissing her neck. And then Malcolm was replaced by Francis. And then by Dewey..._

Reese's eyes shot open and he bolted upright. What. The. Fuck.

***Maria's POV***

I was slumped over, drifting in and out of sleep when a series of 'Boo!'s and yells awoke me. Wendy was standing beside me with her pigtails, bouncing and clapping away as Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey were being taken down from the billboard.

"Hey! Hey, everybody!" Reese yelled. "You can take us down but first I have something to say. I realized something up here. This woman is beautiful: she's sexy and perfect and gigantic, but you know what? She isn't real. If she _was_ real, she'd be different. I know that if I was real, I'd want people to listen to me. I'd want people to care about what I think and not ignore me. I guess what these protestors are trying to say is that women, real women, aren't that different from regular people! They want the same things that men want, only men don't have to hold a big protest to get them. And women shouldn't have to, either." Everyone started clapping as Reese and Malcolm stepped onto the ground (and Dewey was being wheeled away on a stretcher?) and Wendy went running up to Reese.

"Reese, that was amazing!" she squealed. "It's me, Wendy, remember? I was just-" I grabbed Wendy by the shoulder and yanked her backwards.

"Get _off_ of my boyfriend, whore!" I snapped.

"I thought you said-" she started.

"Never mind what I said! Get the hell outta here!" I yelled, and Wendy glared at me before disappearing into the crowd. The next thing I knew Reese was kissing me and it was the perfect moment. The lights and cameras were in our faces and the whole audience was clapping and cheering, but all of that went away when his lips touched mine.

"I love you, Maria Gonzalez," he whispered, and I smiled into his lips.

"I love you too, Reese Wilkerson," I muttered and Lois grabbed Reese's arm, pulling us apart.

"Well, I'm very proud of you boys. Let's go home where I can truly express how I'm feeling," Lois said, dragging them away.

"I love you!" Reese called over his shoulder to me.

"I love you too! Call me tonight if your phone privileges aren't taken away!" I yelled back.

_~i'd rather be in love with you.~_


	34. Tiki Lounge

_**Tiki Lounge**_

Maria2hott: im so pissed.

Cynthiagal: well, hello to you too.

Cynthiagal: and i thought u n reese just got back together. i thought ud be thrilled!

Maria2hott: i *am* thrilled. about that. but were sort of having a problem.

Cynthiagal: what is it?

Maria2hott: well...its been a week since we got back together, and...

Cynthiagal: and what? just say it.

Maria2hott: we havent had sex yet.

Cynthiagal: 1. so? 2. y not? is he sexually repressed or somthing? r U?

Maria2hott: NO, WE R NOT SEXUALLY REPRESSED! god.

Maria2hott: and it *matters* because counting all the months that have passed since we broke up, its been like...4 months since either of us have done it! AT ALL!

Maria2hott: and...were both rly horny.

Cynthiagal: MARIA! EWW!

Maria2hott: well!

Maria2hott: and we *cant* because we keep getting interrupted. here, ill give u a few examples:

Ex. #1:

I mashed my lips against Reese's and closed my eyes as he ran his hands over my naked body. The steaming hot water droplets from the shower dripper down my limbs and face and torso and onto the shower floor, and I breathed in the steam. Reese's naked torso was pressed up against mine and his penis pocked and prodded around my vagina without actually sealing the deal.

I heard a bang as the bathroom door flew open and someone stomping around. "Reese, you've been in there for 10 damn minutes, now _get a move on!_" Lois shrieked, pounding on the wall next to the shower, and I froze, praying to God that she wouldn't open up the curtain.

"I'll be out in a second, Mom! God!" Reese snapped, and I laid my head on Reese's shoulder and squeezed my eyes shut, counting my blessings and pretending to be invisible.

"YOU'D BETTER BE OUT OF THAT SHOWER IN 30 SECONDS OR I'M DRAGGING YOU OUT MYSELF!" Lois yelled, and stomped out.

"Fuck," I said.

Ex. #2:

It was in the middle of the day and Reese and I were making out under the covers of his bed (we ditched school), and starting to strip off a few pieces of clothing when a door swung open and we heard an,

"Eww!" and and,

"Oh God! I'm _blind!_" We looked up and saw Malcolm and Dewey standing there, looking horrified.

"Damn. Is it 3:00 already?" I asked, checking my phone.

"Get the hell out!" Reese yelled at his brothers, pointing at the door, but they just smirked down at him.

"No way! This is _our_ room, too, you know!" Dewey cried.

"I will beat the living snot out of you if you don't!" Reese threatened, but they just shrugged and sat down.

Cynthiagal: ooh, i can c how that wud be a problem.

Maria2hott: yes, but a problem no more!

Cynthiagal: huh?

Maria2hott: my mom is going to file a divorce against jim this week.

Cynthiagal: omg, wat happened?

Maria2hott: idk. my moms bitchiness drove him away? haa.

Maria2hott: AAANYYwayyz, im gonna c if reese can cum ovr, cuz graham will be w/ mom and ben is in therapy that nite so we will have the *whole house* to ourselves for a good 3 hours.

Cynthiagal: wat about katherine and leslie and dominick?

Maria2hott: katherine got her own place, remember? shes too busy taking care of little leslie anyway to drop by. and dominick is *jim's* kid.

Cynthiagal: wont u ever get to c them again?

Maria2hott: katherine - yes. shes an adult, she makes her own choices, so she can c me anytime she wants.

Cynthiagal: an adult who got pregnant and dropped out of hi skool.

Maria2hott: suree, throw that in her face, y dont ya'?

Maria2hott: and dominick - idk. i mean, we werent that close but graham will be bummed.

Cynthiagal: poor guy.

Maria2hott: ikr? idk wat happened to them...jim and my mom i mean. they used to b so happy. maybe my mom is cursed. maybe she REPELS men.

Maria2hott: OMG!

Cynthiagal: what?

Maria2hott: what if she passed it on to ME?

Cynthiagal: thats ridiculous. u n reese will be together forever.

Maria2hott: yay.

Maria2hott: but how do u know?

Cynthiagal: anyone who has seen u two together wud know that.

Maria2hott: aww, thanx. hey, i g2g. ttyl?

Cynthiagal: yea. bi.

*LATER*

Maria2hott: OMG! REESE SAID HE CANT CUM OVR TONITE! GRR!

Cynthiagal: y not?

Maria2hott: he said hal and lois r making him babysit jamie. I AM SO MAD!

Cynthiagal: y? i mean, if he has to babysit jamie then theres nothing he can do. and just do it another nite.

Maria2hott: only i CANT becuz his parents r making him and dewey babysit jamie EVERY nite from 7:00-8:00.

Cynthiagal: y?

Maria2hott: idk! reese started babbling about sumthing called tiki time? idk. hes weird.

Cynthiagal: tiki time? wtf?

Maria2hott: IKR? and now we r going to have our first time since we got back together in a broom closet at the high skool. or us dry-humping each other in his bed b4 malcolm and dewey get home.

Cynthiagal: eww.

Cynthiagal: but whats the big deal? its not like its ur 1st time tor anything.

Maria2hott: exactly. becuz our first time was a disaster. it just breaks my heart that our first time was in a cramped bedroom while we were both drunk, at jenny miller's party.

Cynthiagal: jenny moore.

Maria2hott: wat?

Cynthiagal: it was at jenny moore's party. we dont know a jenny miller.

Maria2hott: well, watever her name was! i just love him so much and i wanted our first time to be special.

Cynthiagal: at least uve *had* a first time.

Maria2hott: r u ok?

Cynthiagal: idk. i mean, u had ur first time b4 u even got into hi skool.

Maria2hott: only by 2 and a half months.

Cynthiagal: and im halfway thru my junior year and still a virgin.

Maria2hott: so? ik lots off ppl our age who r still virgins.

Cynthiagal: yea but almost all the ppl on ur list have a gf or bf.

Maria2hott: not malcolm.

Cynthiagal: malcolm was on ur list? malcolms a virgin?

Maria2hott: yes, he is. and the other people on my list r: danny. christine. malcolm.

Cynthiagal: danny - has a bf. christine - has a bf.

Maria2hott: CHRISTINE HAS A BF? who?

Cynthiagal: kevin stratt.

Maria2hott: omg, rly?

Cynthiagal: whats the big deal?

Maria2hott: umm...nothing. so back to u being a virgin.

Cynthiagal: oh yeah. and my point is that danny and christine both have bf's, and malcolm has had gf's b4, even if he *is* single now. and do *i* have a bf? no. do *i* have any exes? no.

Maria2hott: u just havent met the rite guy yet.

Maria2hott: or maybe u have and ur both just being too stubborn and naive to c it?

Cynthiagal: ?

Maria2hott: oh wow. u *r* stubborn and naive. i was rite!

Cynthiagal: stubborn and naive? who

Cynthiagal: omg. ur not talking about MALCOLM, r u?

Maria2hott: tee hee.

Maria2hott: oh come on, u guys wud be *so* cute together!

Cynthiagal: maria.

Maria2hott: ull end up going out, mark my words.

Cynthiagal: *maria*.

Maria2hott: i will bet u a million $ that u will go out. wanna bet me? huh? huh? huh? do ya?

Cynthiagal: MARIA!

Cynthiagal: malcolm and i r not going to go out.

Maria2hott: yes u will. and uk it!

Cynthiagal: im leaving now.

Maria2hott: HA! u *do* know it!

*Cynthiagal is offline*

Maria2hott: aha!

I got the perfect idea after I talked to Cynthia. I walked through the house where Mom was bending over over divorce papers in the kitchen, Ben was sitting on the counter, talking into the phone in a hushed voice, and Graham was watching Spongebob Squarepants in the living room.

"Hey, Mom, I'm going out, okay?" I called over my shoulder as I reached for the car keys on the counter next to Ben.

"Amy...Amy, no, I haven't been using. I'm done with that, I _promise!_" I heard Ben mutter into the phone and stared at him. Amy? Must be a new girlfriend. I'll ask him about it later.

"What? Where are...I'm so overwhelm...just be back before curfew, alright?" my mom said in a stressed voice, grabbing a clump of her hair.

"Great, Mom, thanks!" I cried and jingled the keys on my way out.

"Maria!" my 7-year-old brother called from the living room and I sighed and turned around.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Where are you going?"

"To a friend's house," I replied. It wasn't a lie. Malcolm and Dewey *were* my friends.

"When will you be back?"

"Before curfew. Mom just said."

"When's your curfew?" Graham pouted and I rolled my eyes. Could he be any more of a baby?

"Can't say, it's too embarrassing. Ask Mom, and try to get her to bump it up, will ya?" I said and then high-tailed it out of there before I got bombarded with any more annoying questions.

I picked up a few candles and a bottle of wine before pulling into the Wilkerson's driveway. All I had to do was flirt with the store clerk and he just gave me the alcohol.

I snuck a peek in the window-empty. I hoisted it open and dropped my bag under the windowpane before quietly shutting the window again. I made my way to the front door and rang the doorbell before checking the time on my phone: 7:03 P.M. Perfect.

"Maria! What are you doing here?" Reese cried. "I have to babysit!"

"Make Dewey do it by himself for a little while," I said, pushing past him and strolling into his house. "He can do it. He's almost 9, right?"

"I'm 11," Dewey snapped from the kitchen.

"Exactly. Which means you can take care of Jamie by yourself for a night."

"No way!" Dewey yelled.

"Come on, D, help me out here!" I cried, but he just shook his head and I looked at Reese. "Let's just go."

"No! Then Jamie will think that he won!" Reese protested, and I frowned.

"What?"

"Your boyfriend is having a fued with a toddler," Dewey explained, rolling his eyes.

"Then maybe I can _persuade_ you," I said, and slipped into their bedroom, shutting the door behind me.

***Reese's POV***

"The blue plaid shirt is yours, right?" Maria called from our bedroom and I frowned. What the hell was she doing?

"Uhh...yeah," I called back and saw that Jamie was staring at me. I glared at him and mouthed, 'I'm watching you.' I was _not_ gonna get beaten by my baby brother! I heard a door creak open and Dewey gasped. I turned around.

Maria was leaning against the doorway, her dark brown curls falling perfectly over her shoulders and her smooth legs mocking me. She didn't have anything on except for my blue button-up plaid shirt that was too big on her, covering all of her private parts (_Damn!_).

"Maria! If our parents see...!" Dewey trailed off, staring at her with his jaw unhinged.

"It's not like I'm _completely_ naked under this. I have underwear on. See?" she said and pulled up the shirt to reveal white panties. I groaned in disappointment. She was _so_ sexy.

"So, Reese, whaddaya say?" she asked, stroking a wine bottle that she had pressed to her chest.

"I-I have to..." I stammered, trying to find words but my mind came up blank. Why couldn't I think? It was harder than usual.

"Fine," she said, smiling and twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "but this offer expires at 8:00." Then she disappeared into our bedroom and quietly shut the door.

"Oh My God!" Dewey and I moaned at the same time and then I glared at him. "What the hell were you staring at?"

"N-nothing!" he cried and I raised my fist, and he flinched back.

***Maria's POV***

I shut the door behind me and plopped down on Reese's bed with a huff. What the hell? How could he reject me? When I was dressed like _this?_ I mean, doing all that in front of _Dewey?_ I had never been so whorey in my life! How could he _still_ say no to me?

I popped open the bottle of wine and picked up a glass, but then threw it to the ground and raised the glass to my lips, chugging almost half of it in less than 15 seconds.

"Stupid...boyfriend," I murmured, picking up a lighter and pressing down on it so that the flame flickered and lit up the dark room. I put it onto the candle of wax and it ignited instantly. I did the same for all of my candles and then threw my lighter onto the bed with a sigh, and then raised the wine bottle to my lips again.

*LATER*

I glanced at the time on my phone: 7:48 P.M. and the door opened, spraying a ray of light into the room.

"Maria?" Reese said, sitting down next to me on the bed.

"Reeeese! Oh My _Gawd,_ you came!" I cried, giggling and clapping my hands together.

"Are you okay?" he asked, uneasily and I grabbed his arm, nodding my head, violently and giggling some more.

"No, I'm _more_ than okay! I'm _so_ happy, more than I've been in a long time! Especially now that you're here!" I bounced into his lap.

"Are you drunk?" Reese asked me, looking around the room. Probably looking for the empty wine bottle. Too bad he'd never find it!

"You know...I _think_ I might be!" I slured and then giggled some more. "but-but just because I'm drunk doesn't mean we can't still do it!"

"You want me to take advantage of you while you're drunk?"

"_Yes!_" I cried, and Reese smiled.

"Okay!" He leaned down and started to kiss me, but then leaned back and frowned.

"What's wrong, baby?" I asked, laying my aching head down on the pillow. "Don't you _want_ to make love to me? We've been waiting so long."

"No, I do. But not-but not while you're drunk. Cuz if we do it and I take advantage of you...you'll kill me once you sober up tomorrow."

"No, I won't! I promise. I was drunk the first time we did it, so why shouldn't I be drunk _this_ time?"

"Is that what this is about?" Reese asked, frowning.

"Just come here," I slurred, grabbing him by the shirt and I started to kiss him. "Just let yourself enjoy this."

"No, Maria, come on. My parents are done with Tiki Time already, we'll get caught. Let me drive you home."

"Oh, sure! You pick _now_ to stop being an inconsiderate jerk!"

And that's all I remember about that night. Even all the stuff above, I'm not sure about. For the blank patches, I just winged it, but I'm pretty sure that's what happened. Right now I'm going to an auction that Malcolm was holding for the Boosters Club with the Wilkersons. Reese and I were awkwardly co-existing and trying not to make eye-contact with each other.

"We have to be home by 9:30. The babysitter said her halfway-house goes into lockdown at 10:00," Hal murmured to Lois.

"Okay-did she tell you about the mobile over Jamie's crib? She said it looked like somebody took a _saw_ and cut almost all the way through it!" Lois cried and Reese, Dewey, and I turned around to face her.

"That's weird! It's not like he has any enemies or anything," Reese said and suddenly I remembered Dewey's 'fued with a toddler' comment. Reese, Dewey, and I wandered off as Lois caught up with Malcolm.

*LATER*

Reese was shooting things through a slingshot at some game booth, Dewey and me standing behind him. "I can't wait to see the look on Jamie's face tomorrow when he tries to tickle what's left of Elmo." Reese bent back the slingshot and let it go with a snap! "Then he'll be sorry he started this." Snap! "Stupid baby."

"Reese, let me ask you," Dewey started. Snap! "When you end up in a situation like this"

Snap!

"does it ever even occur to you to"

Snap!

"stop and figure out how you got there?"

"And let him win?" Reese challenged. Snap!

"You're such an idiot," I growled and Reese turned around to face me.

"What?"

"I said, YOU'RE SUCH AN IDIOT!" I yelled. "And you will you cut that out?" I gestured towards his slingshot. "It's driving me fucking _insane!_"

"Oh really?" Reese cried, and snapped the slingshot into the air, louder this time.

"Stop that!" I snapped, and snatched it away from him. "God, you're like a child!"

"Oh, am I?"

"Yes! You're having a fued with a toddler..."

"You're the one who keeps whining about our first time..."

"...and even _Jamie's_ more mature than you!"

"...waah waah waah! Do you ever shut up?"

"Jamie's a _baby_ and even _his_ IQ is higher than yours...!"

"I'm sorry that it wasn't beautiful and magic like in a storybook..."

"...and knowing you, you're gonna get outsmarted by a _one-year-old!_"

"...but I guess _nothing_ I ever do will be good for you, will it?"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!" I shrieked, and started to storm away.

"Glad to!" Reese called after me, angrily and I turned and snapped a rock at him through the slingshot. I heard snap! followed by an, "OW!" before I stormed off.

*LATER*

I looked drowsily down at the punch in my cup before gulping down the last of it. I was pretty sure there was alcohol in here-I think I had seen Mr. Herkabe slip some wine in the punch bowl. Whatever. I was getting fall-over drunk most of the time, anyway. So why shouldn't I be now?

"Hey." I looked up.

"_What?_" I snapped, and Reese sat down next to me.

"I'm sorry about earlier," he offered and I rolled my eyes.

"Took you long enough." He frowned at me.

"What's your problem?"

"Nothing," I grumbled and stared down at the table.

"Is this about what you said last night? About us being drunk our first time?"

"No!" I lied, and then glanced up at him but then quickly looked away. "Maybe."

"I don't get it. Why does that matter?" Reese asked and I sighed and shrugged.

"I don't know. It just does."

"Why?" Reese asked.

"I-I guess I just wanted...I don't know. I can't explain it. It's no big deal, I'll get over it. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch lately," I admitted, glancing up at him and he grabbed my hand.

"Wanna do it?"

"Well, that was random."

"No, I mean, we _still_ haven't done it yet since we got back together, and it's probably why we've been fighting a lot lately."

"Oh My God, you're _right!_" I cried, and looked around. "But where?"

"It's a school, Maria. There's janitor closets and empty classrooms _everywhere._"

*LATER*

I backed into the janitor closet, the very same one that Reese and I had sex in on my first day of high school, and found that it was a lot smaller than I remembered. Reese shut the door behind us, enclosing us in almost darkness. I could barely see Reese's face in front of me-barely. Thankfully, I could because I was a little bit afraid of the dark.

...Okay, maybe more than a little.

I wrapped my arms around Reese's torso as he kissed my neck. We could not get each other's clothes off fast enough, I swear. Reese was leaning down to kiss my breasts and I reached down to gently grab his penis and gave him a quick handjob. He moaned softly into my neck and I went down on him. I had never given Reese a blowjob before because it was well, fucking disgusting in my mind but I was a little drunk, so those thoughts were pushed away.

I enclosed Reese's penis in my mouth and sucked gently, massaging it with my tongue. He moaned and cummed in my mouth, which I quickly swallowed so that I wouldn't have to taste it.

*LATER*

Reese and I walked back into the gym, hand-in-hand, and Lois turned around to smile at us. "Oh, hi! Where have you two been? You missed a very...interesting auction."

"Just walking around," I lied and then Lois quickly turned to go talk to Hal.

"So...now that we're back together..." I trailed off, and Reese looked at me. "I still have the ring in my back closet." I was just gonna get right to the point.

"You still wanna marry me?" Reese asked, looking shocked.

"Of course," I said, smiling up at him. "I love you."

"I love you, too. Right after high school. I promise."

_~i can't stop thinking about you.~_


	35. Butterflies

_**Butterflies**_

I was on my way to the Wilkerson's when I saw Reese stumbling up the driveway with a big box, and in his work uniform.

"Hey!" I cried, and ran up to him. "What's that?"

"What?" he asked, dumbly and I rolled my eyes.

"What's in the box?"

"Umm...caterpillars, I think," he replied, drowsily. I frowned.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. My boss just said that maybe I shouldn't go to sleep for a while...fumes and stuff," he explained and I gasped.

"_Fumes?_ Oh My God, Reese, that's dangerous! Come on inside."

*LATER*

It was the next day, and Reese and I walked inside and walked by Hal and Jamie on the couch.

"Hold it!" Hal called and we stopped. Hal turned around to look at Reese. "Why aren't you at work? I don't wanna hear that you're too good to crawl under houses, poisoning rats all day. There are _ten_ guys with MBA's that would love to have that job."

"I didn't quit. I showed up this morning and the cops were there. Apparentally, Mr. Krijak was renting out his gas tank for parties. Now I have to dump this stupid box of caterpillars...for free!" Reese complained, and led me outside.

"What are you gonna do with them?" I asked and he answered me by lifting the box ontop of the trash can and saying,

"Have a nice death, puss bags!"

"Ugh. I don't wanna watch this," I said, and turned to go inside.

"No! Maria, wait! This is _amazing!_ Come back!" Reese cried, delighted but I rolled my eyes. He was enjoying this way too much.

"No, Reese! I don't wanna see you mutilate poor creatures!" I called before I went inside.

*LATER*

"Maria, do you want to sleep over?" Reese asked me a few days later, and I grinned. There were two kinds of sleepovers that I had with the Wilkersons: the first was that me, Reese, Malcolm, and Dewey all hung out and did stupid stuff until we all fell asleep on the couch, and then there was the kind of sleepover that Reese and I have without anybody knowing (wink wink, nudge nudge).

"Sure," I said, and glanced at the clock. It was around 5:00.

"Great! Cuz I wanna show you something!" Reese cried, and grabbed my hand, dragging me to the garage.

"Reese, _what_ is the big deal?" I moaned and Reese pointed to the box of caterpillars. "Reese! You still _have_ those? What the hell?"

"Yeah! I've been naming them and taking care of them for a few days now."

"Why didn't you throw them away? They're gross," I said, backing away from the box but Reese held tight onto my hand.

"What's so gross about them? You love butterflies."

"Yeah! _When they're butterflies!_ Not when they're gross caterpillars!"

"Come on, just give them a chance. Hold on," Reese said and peered into the box. At that moment, Hal swung open the door.

"Okay, Reese-"

"Shh! Dad! They're pubating (sp?)" Reese whispered.

"They're what?" I asked.

"They need peace and quiet when they're developing their delicate-" Reese started, but Hal interrupted him.

"You gotta dump the bugs."

"_What?_"

"I'm sorry; your mother wants them gone!" Hal said and started towards the box, but Reese blocked him.

"No! You can't do this! They never hurt anyone. They have no protection, no one to watch over them," Reese said.

"Oh crap, I'm too late," Hal moaned. "You've bonded with them, didn't you? Well, welcome to my world! Now _you're_ stuck with feelings of unjustified love for a bunch of mindless, ungrateful eating machines. Haha...see how you like it! At least yours will be dead in a month."

"So I can keep them?" Reese asked.

"Throw them under the tarp with the Playboys," Hal said and then turned to leave. "And you'd better be a sullen jerk to me so your mother doesn't get wise, you got that?" Hal turned and left and Reese put the box under the tarp, and then hesitated to stand back up.

"Reese, if you take one of those Playboys, I will smack you," I said and he shot upwards.

*LATER*

I woke up around 2 a.m. when I felt Reese scramble out of bed next to me in a panic.

"Reese? What's going on?" I murmured, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. He was staring outside, where frost was developing on the windows.

"The caterpillars! They'll freeze out there!" he yelped and bolted out the door. I sighed and shook my head. What was with him and those stupid caterpillars? At that moment, Reese came running in with the large box and set it down on the floor. He set a blanket on top of the box and gently stroked the box.

"Reese, are you stroking the box?" I asked and he nodded.

"Yeah! I need to make them feel safe!" I rolled my eyes.

"What about me? I don't feel very safe knowing that my fiance` is a crazy person."

*LATER*

"Get off me! Get the hell off me! Help! _Help!_" Reese shrieked and I rolled over to see hundreds of butterflies fluttering around the room. And they were landing all over me and Reese.

"Oh My _God!_" I cried, sitting up and reaching my hand out. Butterfly after butterfly gently landed on my hand and all up my arm. "This is so cool!"

"Maria! Get them off me!" Reese yelped, swatting at the butterflies.

"What is going _on_ in here?" Lois shrieked as she came storming in, and I swear, I don't know which she was more mad about: that Reese had kept all the butterflies or that I had slept in Reese's bed.

_~let's be CRAZY together.~_


	36. Buseys Take a Hostage

_**Buseys Take a Hostage**_

I ripped open the envelope of my report card and let out a sigh. All B's. I had passed my exams! _I'm gonna be a fucking senior!_ I thought, happily, jumping up and down.

"Oh, hi, honey," Mom said, coming into the kitchen and setting down her purse on the counter. "Is that your report card?" I nodded. She held her hand out. "Let me see." I gave her my report card and then pulled out my cell phone to call Reese.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Reese! I passed all my exams!" I squealed.

"REESE! GET OFF THE PHONE!" Lois screamed in the background and I jumped.

"What's her problem?"

"She just saw my report card. I flunked out of every single class," Reese replied and I gasped.

"Oh My God, really?"

"Every single one of my finals, I got every question wrong."

"Holy crap!" I cried, and Mom looked at me, curiously.

"I know. Now I get to repeat my senior year! Isn't this great? I worked so hard for this. I had to make sure I flunked every class so completely, I couldn't make it up in summer school. Now I don't have to move out or go to college or get a job for a whole 'nother year! We'll be together for your senior year! This is the greatest achievement of my entire life!" Reese explained, and I grinned.

"Oh My God, Reese, this is _amazing!_ I have _never_ been more proud of you! Let me call you back, okay?"

"Okay." I hung up the phone and smiled at Mom.

"When's Ben's graduation again?" I asked her, sweetly. I was trying to redirect the conversation away from my phone call with Reese.

"This weekend," she replied. "We'll see Reese there, right?" Crap. I had always known that Mom hoped Reese and I would drift apart once he graduated high school ahead of me.

"Actually, no," I said and she frowned at me. "Reese...he flunked out all of his classes on purpose so that we could be together our senior year. Isn't he sweet?"

"He _what?_" she shrieked. "He failed his senior year? Maria, _no!_ You _cannot_ be with him! You won't go anywhere in life with him. He's a _dumbass,_ a _failure!_"

"Don't talk about him like that!" I snapped, prepared for the same argument that we had had 100 times before. "And I will date whoever the hell I want to date!"

"Not while you're living under my roof, you won't! Just because you're almost 18 now, doesn't mean you can undermine my authority at every turn!"

"Oh, the whole 'you're living under my roof, so you have to obey my rules' gag again? Well, what if I don't _live_ under your roof anymore?" I threatened and Mom rolled her eyes.

"Not this again. You've threatened to move out at least 30 times, and do you know how many times you've _actually_ moved out? One!"

"Make it two," I said, smirking and stomped to my room, my mother right on my heels.

"What are you doing? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" she screamed as I started throwing my clothes and my other belongings into a suitcase.

"PACKING! SO THEN I CAN DATE WHOEVER THE HELL I WANT! SO THEN I CAN _DO_ WHATEVER THE HELL I WANT!" I shrieked as I zipped up the bulging suitcase and stomped towards the front door.

"_FINE!_ GO! SEE IF I CARE!" she screamed as I walked out the front door.

_Where am I gonna go?_ I thought as I turned a right, no idea where I was going. _I can't stay at the Wilkerson's-Lois is still mad about me sleeping over in Reese's bed that one time. And I can't stay at Cynthia's-her dad is a psycho. Christine's mom hates me and Danny...Danny!_ I brightened up. _Danny's mom loves me! And Danny's gay so I bet she'd let me stay there!* I pulled out my cell phone and dialed his number._

"Hello?" Danny said.

"Danny! I need to talk to you!"

"Okay. What about?"

"I moved out of my house-my mom and I got in another huge fight. Can I stay with you?"

"Umm...sure, lemme check. For how long?"

"For...the whole senior year?" Danny was silent.

"A whole year? I don't know, Mare. Why can't you stay with Reese?"

"Me living with my boyfriend for a year? Do you really think his mom is going to go for that?"

"Right. I, umm...I could ask. Hold on." I started walking towards Danny's house, dragging my feet on the sidewalk as it started to drizzle.

"Perfect," I grumbled, ducking my head down to try to shield my cell phone from the rain.

"Maria? I'm back. Are you still here?"

"Yeah."

"You can stay with us."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my mom likes you. And she says she could use another girl to talk to or help out around the help."

"Oh My God, thank you so much, Danny! I'll be there soon." I hung up and smiled. Finally, my mom couldn't control me anymore.

_~guess what? i love you.~_


	37. Reese vs Stevie

_**Reese vs. Stevie**_

I was walking home from school (my senior year! :D) and I was telling him all about how I'd been living with Danny for the last 3 months.

"I can't believe you're living at that kid's house," Reese said as we started up the driveway.

"I know, right? Danny and his mom are awesome, but I can't _wait_ until..." I trailed off once we got inside. We had made a rule that we can't talk about the engagement in the Wilkerson's house or in a 50-foot radius around it.

"Oh crap," Reese grumbled, eyeing Abe backing out of the driveway. "Stevie's here."

"Ooh, cool," I said, grinning but Reese just glared at me.

"No, not cool. I hate Stevie." I stopped him before we went down the hall to his room.

"What? why? Since when?"

"Never mind," he grumbled and we walked into his room, with Malcolm and Stevie doing homework or something and Reese grabbed all of Stevie's stuff and flung it on to the floor. "My desk!"

"Reese, what's your problem?" Malcolm moaned, standing up as I flopped down on the bed. Malcolm glanced over at me. "Aren't you going to say something?"

"Too tired," I replied. "And it's not my problem."

"Your boyfriend. Your problem," Malcolm snapped and I rolled my eyes, and then Malcolm turned back to Reese.

"He's my problem. I get to come home to my own room and put my own stuff on my own desk," Reese explained and turned to face Stevie. "There's such a thing as manners, Stevie. When you're a guest in someone's house-" Stevie squirted Reese in the eyes with his inhaler and he yelled and raised his fist, but hesitated.

"Real classy, Reese. Go ahead, hit him," Malcolm sneered.

"It's not fair! He's hit me plenty of times. He makes fun of me, he treats me like crap, and just because he's in that chair he gets away with it!" Reese cried and I sighed. _Now I get it._

"I blame...society," Stevie replied, smirking and Reese backed away from him, glaring over at the wall.

"I'm sorry, Stevie," he grumbled.

"Good," Malcolm said,

"Malcolm, get your dirty socks off this table or I'll feed them to you for dinner!" Lois snapped from the kitchen.

"Like I'd taste a difference," Malcolm murmured and left the room.

"Oh, hey, you guys got Chex Mix, right? Be right back," I said and followed Malcolm into the kitchen, where he was grouchily snatching up his socks from the kitchen table while Lois was doing the dishes with Jamie.

"Hi, Lois," I said, grabbing a bag of Cheddar Chex-Mix.

"Hi, Maria," she said, smiling at me and then went back to talking to Jamie. _Ohkaaayyy...?_ I wondered, but just shrugged and went back into the room after Malcolm where Reese was smirking evilly at Stevie from his bed.

"Oh God. What happened?" I asked and Malcolm glanced up at me, curiously, but I just shook my head. "Never mind. I don't wanna know."

*LATER*

It was the next day at school and I was walking through the hall when Scottie Riselli smacked my butt and grinned at me like a perv when I turned to glare at him.

"What the hell was that?" Reese asked and I turned around. Just the sight of my boyfriend made Scottie tremble.

"Reese! Uhh...it was nothing!"

*LATER*

"Hi, guys," Reese said as he and I walked through the living room after school.

"Hey, Reese, how'd it go with the principal?" Malcolm asked and Reese turned around, grinning and held up his bloody fists.

"Fantastic. I love when they get old and they start just phoning it in. He's actually willing to believe this is from obsessive hand-washing!"

"Yeah!" I squealed. "He beat the shit out of Scottie Riselli for me today!" I hugged him, tightly. "Isn't he the best boyfriend ever?"

*LATER*

It was the next day (again), after school (again) and I was sitting in the counselor's office.

"Now, Maria, I know that you and your mother don't always get along, but she's really worried about you," Mrs. Livee explained. "I understand that you've cut off contact with your mother and the rest of your family?"

"Well, with my mom, yeah," I started, nervously. "She's a bitch and I hate her." I tried not to snicker at the look of shock on Mrs. Livee's face. "And my dad split on us about five years ago, so of course I'm not in touch with him, and Ben moved out over the summer when he graduated."

"And your little brother...Graham?"

"Well, no...I haven't really talked to him. Because then I would have to talk to my hellish mother."

"Why is that so bad?" Mrs. Livee asked and I rolled my eyes.

"Can I just go now? I don't need therapy-I'm not some fucking crazy person."

"Okay, okay, let's get to the point. Your mom is really worried about you-"

"You said that already," I cut her off.

"I know. As I was saying, your mom is really worried about you since you cut off all contact with her and would really like to know where you've been staying. Since you show up to school everyday and are accounted for, we can't exactly count you as missing..."

"Because I'm _not_ missing!" I snapped, standing up. "And I have places to be, so can I just go?" I started for the door.

"The Wilkerson's?" Mrs. Livee guessed and I turned around to glare at her.

"Maybe. So?"

"Well, I understand that you're dating Reese Wilkerson...another thing that your mom is concerned about-"

"Goodbye," I said and left.

_God, what a fucking joke,_ I thought, angrily as I stomped to the Wilkerson's. _I can't believe my mom did that-actually I fucking can. God, I hate my life._ I threw open the front door and saw Dewey chewing five packs worth of gum.

"Hey, Dewey. Where's Reese?" I asked.

"Garage," he choked out and I walked out to the garage. I saw Malcolm and Abe standing outside it, looking horrified. I looked inside and saw Stevie (in some kind of robotic thing that could make him walk?) beating the shit out of Reese.

"OH MY GOD!" I screamed and rushed up to them. "Stevie, stop it!" I grabbed his arm on the backswing and Stevie turned around to look at me.

"STEVIE, KNOCK IT OFF, YOU ASSHOLE!" I shrieked and pulled Stevie off of Reese, and then knelt down next to my boyfriend. "Oh My God, baby, are you okay?"

*LATER*

I was sitting at the Wilkerson's kitchen table with Malcolm after he finished changing Reese's bedpan.

"I can't believe Stevie did that," I grumbled. "Dickface."

"I can't believe you didn't notice," Malcolm said, smirking and I glared at him.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You _do_ know that you were no match for Stevie today? He could have kept hitting Reese with that machine...he only stopped because you told him to," Malcolm explained.

"Why?" I asked, dumbly.

"Duh. Because he like, loves you."

_~you make me fall in love all over again everytime.~_


	38. Halloween

_**Halloween**_

"...and after the autopsy of the victim, the coroner himself went completely insane," the tour guide explained. I was with Malcolm and Reese and some other kids in the back of a car. This guy started a tour where he showed people places around town where people were murdered and stuff like that. It was _so_ cool.

"Now, coming up on your left, the site where one of the most gruesome multiple murders in the history of the state took place. Look, if you dare, at this house of pure evil!" the tour guide announced and Malcolm, Reese, and I craned our heads out the window to look and then stopped when we saw...the Wilkerson's.

"Holy shit," I murmured.

*LATER*

"I can't believe they lived in a place where someone _murdered_ people!" I cried to Danny. I was laying on his bed while he flipped through the channels on his TV. So far my mom had called me 50 more times. _I can't believe her,_ I thought, angrily. _She bitches to me about how I never take a stand and move out, and then when I do, she's suddenly concerned about me? Bitch._

"I know. It's so cool," Danny said and I rolled my eyes.

"No, it's _creepy!_" I hung out over there every day for like, five years! Sitting on the very couch where someone was probably stabbed to death! Jeez. Knowing this, Reese and I are moving _straight_ out as soon as we get married," I said.

Danny stared at me. "You and Reese are getting married?"

"Yeah. After high school. _Right_ after high school, I might add."

"Wow." Danny laid his head on my stomach. "I wonder if Ryan and I will ever get married?"

"Your boyfriend?"

Danny rolled his eyes. "_Yes!_ You've met Ryan like, 7 times."

"I know that." My cell phone rang, and I expected it to be Reese, but it wasn't. I groaned.

"Your mom again?" Danny guessed and I nodded.

"Will she ever leave me alone?"

"She's bound to check here sometime," Danny pointed out and I groaned again.

"Don't remind me."

*LATER*

I was sitting in the Wilkerson's room with the boys when Lois came in."All right, you know the plan. You two are taking Jamie. No eggs, no stink bombs, no matches, no catapults, no Mace."

"Fine," Reese said.

"No explosives."

"Of course not."

"No water balloons, no spray paint, no gasoline, no shaving cream, no toilet paper."

"Wouldn't even think of it."

"No ladder, no compressor, no soup."

"You told her!" Reese accused, pointing at Dewey.

"I did not!" Dewey argued.

"I could take Jamie," I offered. "I'm just taking Graham around for a little while." Reese turned to look at me.

"You talked to your mom?" I groaned.

"I don't wanna talk about it." Lois looked at me, curiously.

"Uhh...no, I know the boys' route, so I want to be able to know where they are when I take my break."

I shrugged. "Okay. Suit yourself."

*LATER*

I stood on my porch-uhh, my _mom's_ porch-waiting for someone to answer the door. Mrs. Livee had called me into her office yesterday and my mom was there. I half- expected her to beg me to come home like last time, but she didn't. She just wanted me to tell me where I was staying, which I did, and to keep in contact with her. _Yeah. That'll happen._ As a part of the deal, I had to take Graham trick-or-treating and spend Christmas/New Year's with them. I told her that I was already spending Christmas _and_ New Year's with the Wilkerson's (you should've seen the look on her face!) but I couldn't find a way to worm out of this one.

"Maria!" Graham cried, happily. He was dressed up as a pirate.

"Hey, G. You ready to go?" I was dressed up as a butterfly. Partly because that was the only costume I could afford, but mostly because I still liked to freak Reese out about the whole butterfly thing from last year.

"Yeah!" Mom emerged from the shadows. _Creepy,_ I thought, frowning.

"Hi, Maria."

"Hey," I said as Graham ran back inside to go get his pillowcase.

"Your grandpa is in town for a little while. You could come inside and say hi," she suggested, coldly and I frowned.

"Fine." I walked past her and saw Grandpa sitting in an armchair.

"Maria! You've gotten so _big!_"

"Yeah, that tends to happen," I said, grinning as I bent over to give him a hug. "Hi, Grandpa."

"So when do I get to meet this boyfriend of yours?" I grinned and blushed.

"Soon, I promise. I'm sure Mom's said nothing but nice things about him, right?" I guessed and we both laughed, but Mom rolled her eyes behind us.

"Sorry I'm so stiff. I just had hip surgery," Grandpa explained.

"It's okay. Did the surgery go okay?" He nodded.

"Okay, Maria! We can go now!" Graham cried, running back into the room. He was _sooo_ hyper, and he hadn't even gotten any candy yet. _Oh God._

"Alright. Bye, Grandpa. Bye, uhh...Mom," I murmured as I passed her to get to the door.

*LATER*

"Dude, I have _so_ much candy! This has been _awesome!_" Graham cried, grinning and then skipped up to our house to unload. I waited in the lawn when I noticed a little kid in a tiger suit standing in our front yard. _Hey, isn't that Jamie's costume?_ I thought and bent down in front of the child. He grabbed my shirt-he recognized me. I lifted up the mask, and sure enough, it was Jamie.

"Oh My God," I moaned. "Did my stupid boyfriend forget you here? Here." I lifted him into my arm as Graham came running back outside.

"Okay, I'm read-who's that?"

"Reese's little brother. We just have to drop him off at the Wilkerson's along our route. Did you show Grandpa all your candy?" I asked.

"No, Mom said he left. She doesn't know where he went."

"But I thought he had hip surgery!" I cried and Graham shrugged.

"LET'S GO!"

*LATER*

I opened the Wilkerson's front door and peeked inside. I was pretty sure Hal was home, and Malcolm was sick.

"Are they here?" Graham whispered, excitedly. "Come on, Maria, I wanna get going!"

"Hold on!" I hissed back as Jamie walked inside. I was about to call for Malcolm, when Graham tugged on my wings.

"Maria! Come on!"

"_Fine!_" I whisper-shouted and closed the door. "God, you're so annoying sometimes!"

*LATER*

"I had _tons_ of fun today, Maria," Graham said, searching through his pillowcase for candy.

"Yeah, me too," I said, shrugging. It wasn't a total lie.

"I wish you would come back home. Why are you and Mom fighting?" Graham asked as I led him through the shortcut. "Is it about Reese?"

"Mostly. But it's also cuz we don't get along."

"Because of Reese?" Graham guessed and I sighed.

"It's complicated, G."

"Why?"

"Because..." I struggled to explain this right. "Reese is good for me. He helped me see when people are trying to take control of my life, and you can't let someone do that to you. That's why Mom and I are fighting, because she was always trying to dictate me. I stick up for Reese even though she's my mom, because Reese makes me happy and she...doesn't."

"Oh," Graham said, and then yelled, "IS THAT GRANDPA?" I looked at where he was pointing and I saw Grandpa throwing eggs at Reese and Dewey, who were standing on a mattress.

"Grandpa!" I cried as Graham and I ran over to them.

"What are you doing?" Graham asked.

"This is your _grandpa?_" Reese yelled, pointing at him.

"Reese, are you okay?" I asked, wiping egg yolks off his face, ignoring his question.

"_This_ is Reese? _This_ is your boyfriend?" Grandpa shoutd, angrily. "Your mother was right about him!"

I sighed. "Great, Reese! Now _everyone_ in my family officially hates you!"

_~THE FIRST TIME WE KISSED...WE MADE ALL THE BAD GO AWAY. COMPLETELY.~_


	39. Army Buddy

_**Army Buddy**_

"It's not fair. You owe me ten dollars, Malcolm. You promised to pay me back a month ago!" Dewey protested. I was watching while he, Malcolm, and Reese played basketball.

"Dewey, it seems to me you're the only one holding onto this. The rest of us have moved on," Malcolm said.

"You keep hounding people. Pretty soon, no one's going to want to borrow money from you," Reese agreed and I rolled my eyes.

"Malcolm, just give him the $10 so he'll shut up." Malcolm ignored me and started to dribble the ball.

"He fakes! He fakes again! A behind-the-back pass to-" he threw the ball back and it hit Lois, making her drop her groceries. I winced, expecting her to yell, but instead she picked up the ball and made an awesome dunk-shot.

"That rim's a little loose," Lois commented.

"How come you guys can't play that good?" I asked and Reese glared at me, and Dewey shot me the finger when Lois wasn't looking.

"Mom, how did you do that?" Malcolm cried.

"Orthotics, boys. They can change your life. Give me a hand with the groceries, Malcolm."

"I might as well. I don't think I'll be playing basketball ever again," Malcolm pouted and he and Dewey followed Lois inside. Reese jumped up to take a shot, but his foot caught aroung a white string and he fell.

"What the-?" he yelled and a girl in an army uniform stood on top of him.

"I've been waiting to get you alone, you miserable, scum-sucking piece of garbage!" she cried.

"Short Stack, is that you?" Reese asked and she let him up. "I don't believe it! What the hell are you doing here, you ugly grub eater?"

"Who's she?" I asked, getting up from my spot on the ground, but Reese ignored me. The girl, however, glanced over at me.

"I had a few days leave. Thought I'd spend it with my favorite idiot," she said, grinning, then asked me, "Who are you?"

"Maria," I replied and she scowled.

"Maria Gonzalez? The stupid bitch who cheated on my best buddy?"

"Umm...no, it wasn't like that. It's all sorted out," I explained, trying not to look hurt. I knew that Reese must have said some bad things about me while he was in the army, but hearing them come from a stranger was...hurtful.

"Yeah. We're back together now. No need to get upset, Short Stack," Reese said, grinning and the girl's smile softened.

"Okay, cool."

"Who's this?" Lois asked as she and Malcolm came back outside.

"Only my best buddy from the army. Remember that story I told about that girl soldier who went all crybaby when she got her first care package from home? Abby's the one that kicked her ass and made her shut up!" Reese cried, grinning.

"It was what any platoon leader would have done. I'm Abby Tucker. It's nice to meet you," Abby introduced.

"I'm Lois. This is Malcolm," Lois said.

"Oh, right. Pea Pod," Abby said after seeing Malcolm and then glanced at Reese: "I see what you mean."

"So, you're a platoon leader. It's nice the army let women have some authority once in a while," Lois commented.

"Yes, ma'am. Although it does feel a little weird to give orders to men."

"Well, it shouldn't. Men are like dogs: it calms them down when they know their boundaries."

"Look, if you don't mind, she's only got a couple free days, and we've got a ton of catching up to do!" Reese said and Lois shrugged.

"Sure." She walked inside and Reese and Abby started wrestling on the ground.

"So, uhh...I'll just go home then," I said, frowning and turned to go.

*LATER*

I walked into the Wilkeron's house and saw Reese and Malcolm talking in the kitchen. I wasn't sure why, but I took a step back, hiding behind the wall to listen:

"So when are you guys going to hook up and get it over with?" Malcolm asked and my heart sank.

"What? What are you talking about?" Reese wondered.

"Oh, come on. Every time I turn around, she's got her hands all over you. She clearly digs you, dude."

"You take that back!" Reese snapped.

"I can't believe you didn't notice. I bet _Maria_ has, and she can't be too thrilled about it. I mean, I wouldn't turn my back on Abby, but I think she's kind of hot."

"No, she isn't. Buddies can't be hot. I don't believe you! The best friend I ever had wakes me up in the middle of the night, gives me a stinging face fart, and you go and turn it into something ugly!" Reese cried and stormed off. _Eww. A stinging face fart? Gross,_ I thought, wrinkling up my nose in disgust. _But at least Reese doesn't like Abby back. Aww, who am I kidding? He would never cheat on me._

*LATER*

"Damn! I never should have let her see me in my bike shorts!" Reese murmured as I came walking up.

"Who?" I asked and his head snapped up.

"Nobody!"

"Abby?" I guessed and he yelled,

"_NO!_"

"Reese, chill out. What's your problem?" I asked, trying to play it cool. I didn't want him to know that I was jealous. _Extremely jealous,_ I added, silently.

"It's Abby...she's got a thing for me," he confessed.

"Oh. So, umm...do _you_ have a thing for _her?_" I tried to keep the hurt out of my voice, and failed miserably.

"What? No! She's my buddy! And besides, you're my girlfriend. I wouldn't do that to you." I grinned.

"I know you wouldn't." _At least she's leaving in a few days,_ I thought, trying to convince the part of me that was still jealous. I noticed Reese was staring off into space with a silly grin on his face. "Uhh...Reese? Anybody in there?" I rapped my knuckles against the side of his head, and he snapped back to reality.

"What? Sorry. I just had an idea."

"Oh God," I joked.

"No! This is a good one!"

*LATER*

'I have a surprise for you in the garage. -Reese' was all the note said. I frowned and opened the garage door.

"Reese? Are you in here?"

"I have a present for you," he said and emerged from the shadows wearing nothing but a pink bow around his penis.

"Reese! What the hell are you doing?" I cried.

"It's something I've never given another girl in my entire life. I hope you like it," Reese explained.

"You'd _better_ not have given it to any other girl," I said.

"I'm giving you my innocence. I've saved myself for you, Maria. Let's not wait any longer," he continued and I shut the door.

"What the hell are you talking about? We had sex 4 years ago. And like, 1,000 times after that."

"I know, but you were so bummed about our first time not being great...so I thought, why not redo it? Let's just pretend that _this_ is our first time."

"Aww!" I moaned and jumped into his arms. "You dropped your bow."

_~You're my _addiction_ and I could _never_ get enough of you.~_


	40. Malcolm Defends Reese

_**Malcolm Defends Reese**_

"Fascinating time-line, Reese. So let's see...it was the moon landing, the war of 1812, then the Lincoln-Kennedy shoot-out," Mr. Herkabe observed, looking at the material that Reese had written on the board. He, Malcolm, and I were all in the same history class this year: Mr. Herkabe's history class. And Mr. Herkabe made it his personal job to make Reese as miserable as possible.

My hand shot in the air. "I really don't think we should be wasting all our classtime humiliating Reese. Some of us might want to actually _learn_ something. I mean, you're a _teacher._ I thought you were supposed to _teach_ your students, not torture them."

"Hmm. Interesting speech, Maria. Why don't you go down to the principal's office and try to see if he believes you about what I'm doing to Reese...or even cares," Mr. Herkabe said, smirking. "But wait. Didn't you try to convince him last week?" I angrily curled my fist into a ball. "Well, go on." I got up and stomped to the door, mouthing 'I'm sorry' to Reese before leaving.

"It's too bad! You'll have to miss the Monkey Dance!" Mr. Herkabe called after me.

"Having fun in history?" a voice asked and I turned around. Alex Masters was standing there with a wide smirk on her face, her hands on her hips.

"Alex?" I asked, stupidly. "Is that you?" She had changed a lot since freshman year.

"Who else? What, are you going to the principal's office?" she guessed.

"Maybe. Wait-why did you ask me if I was having fun in history?" Her smirk grew even wider and I started to feel uneasy.

"I told you I would get you back for ditching me in freshman year."

"Wha-? _You're_ the one making Mr. Herkabe torture Reese in class?" I cried.

"$500 can do a lot," she replied. "not that Mr. Herkabe was hard to convince. He was blabbing about some plaque for nerds."

"You're doing this because of a stupid thing that happened in our freshman year? That was _four years ago,_ Alex! You've seriously kept a grudge against me for four years?"

"You'd be amazed at how long I can keep a grudge. I made a pact to myself that I wouldn't rest until I made you absolutely miserable. And I have to say, over the years, I think I did a damn good job," Alex explained.

"What are you talking about 'over the years'? What else have you done to me?"

"Who do you think told your mom where you were the summer where your mom dragged you to vacation at Jim's summer cabin? Who do you think sent Malcolm to Reese's apartment two years ago so he could see you naked and start to like you, resulting in Reese joining the army?" I froze. Alex had done all that to me? All of those bad things happened because of her, because she couldn't let go of a stupid broken friendship.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" I cried. "All of that stuff could have broken me and Reese up! One of them actually did!" She smiled.

"Exactly."

"Are you *trying* to get me and Reese to break up?"

"Umm...duh!"

"Well, it won't work. Because everything you did just made our relationship _stronger!_" I turned to go to the principal's office.

"Who do you think told Wendy Fidderman to turn on the news the day that Reese was up on the billboard? Who do you think got her army officer dad to give Abby Tucker leave for a few days? Who do you think set Christine up with Kevin Stratt just to tick you off?" Alex called after me. I shot her the finger over my shoulder as I walked, but her words stung. She sent Wendy and Abby to try to wreck up my relationship?

"WHO DO YOU THINK GOT STEVIE KENARBAN TO FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU?" I stopped. _No,_ I thought. _No one is that twisted and evil._ I turned around, angrily.

"You what?"

"You told me I was all talk. And I told you that I would _show you_ how much I could talk. And I think I proved my point."

"How could you _do_ that to Stevie?" I cried. "And Wendy and Abby and Christine? Alex, you can't just _go around_ using people like that! It's-it's sick!"

"Just wait," she said, grinning and backing away. "Just wait."

"_You crazy bitch!_" I screamed and ran forward, then popped her a good one right in the jaw. If I learned anything from Reese, it was how to punch right. Alex fell down and I spit on her before making my way to the principal's office. I should tell him what I did.

_~Let's make it WORK and prove everyone WRONG.~_


	41. Bride of Ida: 1

_**Bride of Ida (1)**_

"Good luck in your competition, Dewey!" I cried, pulling the boy into a tight hug before he got in the car.

"You can go on inside, Maria. Grandma Ida is watching the boys for the weekend," Lois explained and she might as well have squashed all of my hopes with her shoe. I was really looking forward to spending the weekend alone with Reese. And besides, Ida always called me a prostitute.

"Oh, okay," I said and walked inside. Ida was preparing dinner.

"What's that prostitute still doing here?" she snapped. "I would have thought that you would have traded her in for one a little better looking by now." Malcolm giggled and I glared at him.

"Grandma, Maria's not a prostitute. She's my girlfriend!" Reese cried. "This is the last time I'm gonna tell you." I sat down next to him at the table just as Ida prepared the food.

"Eww! I'm not eating that!" I yelled as Reese scooped some of the soup into his bowl-I think I saw a pig nose in there.

"These are sex organs of four different animals," Ida announced, proudly.

"And a little oregano," Reese added, grinning.

"Reese, I've watched you grow all these years. You are the one hope for this family," Ida said and Reese smirked at Malcolm, who rolled his eyes. "I just pray you are ready to become a man." She slapped him hard across the face and I jumped.

"Hey!"

"Ow! Hey, what was that for?" Reese yelled, rubbing his cheek. Ida tasted her finger and said,

"You are ready."

"What are you even _talking_ about?" I asked as Raduca collected our bowls. Raduca was Ida's slave, I guess. I don't know what else to call her. Ida shipped her over from Russia.

"In our country, after a boy turns 16, he becomes a barochi. We watch this boy for one year. Then, when he is ready, he is plucked from is mother's tit and thrown into the town square, where he must battle with the other boys for dominance," Ida explained.

"Wait!" Malcolm interrupted. "Up until this point, they're still breast-feeding?"

"It keeps families close," Ida answered and then continued: "The boys fight each other with all their might. When it is over, the one left standing is the man. The rest are dronska. Then more breasts are offered to the proud young man. But these are not the withered spigots of the mother, no. These are the ripe, inviting pleasure domes of the virgins of the village, presented dripping with wine."

"Our family comes from the coolest country in the world!" Reese cried, delighted and I rolled my eyes.

"And it must continue, Reese. You must carry on with this ritual," Ida said.

"Grandma, this is not only moronic, it's impossible. For one thing, there is no village full of boys for Reese to fight," Malcolm pointed out.

"No, we will have to make do. The closest thing we have to a boy is you."

"What?"

"You shall be the rock on which his knife is sharpened. There will be contests of strength and endurance. When he defeats you, he shall be a man," Ida replied.

"What if I defeat him?" Malcolm asked and Reese, Ida, and I all started to laugh. Malcolm might be the brains of the family, but when it came to strength and endurance, Reese had him beat.

"And once you are a man, you shall get this," Ida said, gesturing to Raduca, who approached the table.

"The whole plate of potatoes?" Reese guessed, referring to the plate of potatoes that Raduca was carrying.

"You will take Raduca for your bride," Ida told him.

"_What?_" I cried. "Oh, hell no! If Reese is marrying anyone, it's _me!_ _I'm_ his girlfriend!"

"But that is why I brought Raduca to this country!" Ida protested.

"You brought her here six months ago. She's been working as your slave!" Malcolm cried.

"I should get something for my trouble," Ida said and turned to me. "As for _you,_ why don't we just see who Reese wants to marry? The beautiful, innocent Raduka? Or the prostitute?" I glowered at her, and then everyone turned to Reese.

"Umm...Maria," he said and I smirked.

"Ha!"

*LATER*

Reese, Malcolm, Ida, Raduca, and I were in their backyard and I pulled Reese aside. "Reese, this is great! We can get married and we won't even get in trouble! Our parents will just blame Ida!"

"I know!" Reese agreed, excitedly and I went back to stand with Raduca.

"We begin with the Trial of Pain. Raduca, the strings," Ida said and Raduca handed her a string with two loops on the end. "This trial teaches an important lesson. Until you can ignore your own pain, you cannot truly ignore the pain of others." She put a loop around each Reese and Malcolm's ears. "The first one to take two steps backwards is the victor."

"I don't get why this is supposed to hurt so much," Reese said.

"Go!" Ida yelled and Malcolm and Reese took a step back, and started screaming.

"Oh My God!" I yelped, covering my eyes so I wouldn't have to watch, but found myself peeking through my fingers.

"Why don't you want me to be happy?" Reese yelled at Malcolm.

"I'm only doing this because I love you!" Malcolm yelled back.

"Oh, so you don't think Reese would be happy with me? You stupid shithead!" I shouted at Malcolm, angrily.

"Must...take...mind off...ear pain!" Reese grunted and jabbed his thumb into his eye with a yell and took two victorious steps back.

"The victor!" Ida shouted, holding Reese's hand up in the air.

"That was so easy! I barely worked up a sweat!" Reese cried, wiping off the blood from his eye on his neck.

"Reese! Eww!" I yelled.

"You are now one step closer to your manhood," Ida said, gesturing to a sack that Raduca had brought from the car. "The next trial takes place within the Sack of Fellowship. Once inside the sack, you will face a choice: to work together or to fight each other. If you work together, you'll both lose." Reese and Malcolm both climbed in the sack and I crossed my fingers. I really hoped he won!

"Grandma, what are we supposed to do?" Reese called from inside the sack.

"Just get out."

"That's it?"

"That's it," Ida said and dropped a cat in the sack. I heard screaming and yowling and barking as the sack rolled all around the backyard.

"Oh My God! Reese!" I cried, helplessly. Malcolm's head emerged from the sack, but Reese dragged him back in and crawled out instead.

"I did it! Yeah!" Reese yelled, jumping up and down.

"Okay, Reese. You beat me fair and square. Just-just help me get out!" Malcolm begged, but Reese kicked Malcolm back into the sack.

*LATER*

Reese and Malcolm had to wait inside while Raduca and I watched Ida set up props for the next challenge.

"What's that for?" I asked.

"This is a test of intelligence. No wonder you're a prostitute, you're so damn stupid..." Ida grumbled as she stomped to the door and then threw it open. Raduca and I followed her inside.

"Grandma, Malcolm doesn't want to play anymore. So I guess I win by forfeit," Reese said.

"Yay!" I yelled.

"What? You cannot become a man by forfeit! You must go through all the trials. You must win every one," Ida cried.

"But they're your rules. Can't you just change them?" Reese asked.

"These are not my rules! These are the ways of our people. The ways cannot die."

"Yes, they can! They should! They should be murdered and mashed up and dumped down a salt mine along with nuclear waste and left there to fester and rot in a toxic pool of its own filth!" Malcolm yelled, angrily.

"Your pretty words don't hide your fear," Ida shot back.

"What?"

"You are afraid of the next trial because it is a test of intelligence. You are afraid to find out who is really the smart one in the family. He goes around with his nose in a book, sucking in facts. He doesn't have what we have. You and I have street smarts," Ida said, nodding at Reese.

"Oh, here we go. Every moron who's willing to act like a criminal is loaded with street smarts. Well, let me tell you something, Grandma, you're either smart or you're not. Saying you have street smarts just means you're willing to do things that smart, sensitive people are too decent to do. That's not a sign of intelligence!" Malcolm cried and everyon was silent. "It's not." Still silent. "_It's not!_"

*LATER*

"This is the final test. The game of Vishnok will show us who has the brains around here," Ida said. We were all in the backyard, with Malcolm and Reese seated around some sort of prop. It was a table with a big wooden hook-like thing in the middle with two holes next to it. There was a horse statue and an apple on the table as well.

"Grandma, how do we play?" Reese asked.

"Shh! You will listen!" Ida snapped. "The rabbits run to their lair." She ran her hands over the two holes. "The moon embraces you." She touched the hook-like thing. "The horse turns to lead." The horse statue. "The apple holds the key." The apple. "You have two minutes."

Reese leaned in to whisper something to his brother, and Malcolm shrugged.

"I don't know. Did you feel this?" Malcolm asked, rubbing something on the edge of the holes.

"What?" Reese asked and put his hand in, only to have Malcolm tug him down so that he was lying on the table.

"The rabbits run to their lair! The moon embraces you!" He pulled the hook-like thing down so it left Reese's head trapped onto the table. "The horse turns to lead." He lifted up Reese's nose with the horse statue, making his mouth open. "The apple holds the key." He made Reese chomp down on the apple, and then pulled out a key. "Ha! I beat him! It's over!"

"Dammit!" I moaned.

"Proski, verontut..." Ida murmured.

"The marriage is off! After 2,000 years your ways are dead!" Malcolm cried, happily.

"I am content. The ways have been followed," Ida said.

"What? No. No, you don't get to pretend you're okay with this. I never followed your ways. Well, I did, but it was for a different reason."

"Pack up my things, cow. We leave in five minutes!" Ida barked to Raduca, who rushed inside.

"Wait! I got two out of three! There must be _some_ way I can marry Maria!" Reese yelped, who was still stuck in the prop.

"It is impossible! You are not a man! The most you can ever hope to be is a very butch woman! You two can _never_ wed! _Ever!_"

"Ever?" I whimpered, sadly.

"Well, I'm going to marry Maria, anyway!" Reese cried.

"It is forbidden! The ways don't allow you!" Ida argued.

"Then from now on, I reject your ways forever!" Reese turned to me. "Maria, let's go get married."

*LATER*

"I now pronounce you man and wife," the priest said and Reese leaned over and kissed me.

"I'll do everything I can to make you happy. As soon as we can, I'm kicking Malcolm and Dewey out of the big bed." I giggled and looked down at the ring on my finger. Reese and I were really married. In Vegas, but still married.

_~Everyone is going to hurt you sooner or later, you just have to decide who's worth the pain.~_


	42. Bride of Ida: 2

_**Bride of Ida (2)**_

Reese and I were lying on the bed, looking at the miracle we had done with the Wilkerson's garage. It looked like an actual _home._

"I can't believe this is my home now. This is the third home I've had in a year. Is that weird?" I asked and Reese grinned.

"I dunno. How mad was your mom when you told her that we got hitched in Vegas?"

"Not sure. I left her a voice mail. She'll be over sooner or later so I guess we'll find out." I sighed. "I wonder what your life would have ended up like if you had married Raduca and not me. I wonder what our life will be like?" Reese shrugged.

"Who knows?" he leaned over to kiss my neck and I giggled.

"Reese, your family is 20 feet away."

"So we'll be extra loud then," he said and I laughed.

"If we're lucky, we could emotionally scar Dewey for the rest of his life."

"Let's do it!"

_~If I could have one dance with you, I'd play a song that lasts forever.~_


	43. Stevie in the Hospital

_**Stevie in the Hospital**_

It was nearing the end of senior year and right now I was visiting Stevie in the hospital. He had gotten some kind of surgery or something. I wasn't sure. Reese didn't know I was there, because he didn't like me hanging out with Stevie ever since he found out that Stevie was in love with me (I let it slip).

"So...you and Reese...really got...married?" Stevie asked, and I nodded, holding up my left hand so he could see the ring.

"Yepp. As soon as senior year is over, we're gonna move into an apartment with Craig. we've got it all planned out."

"Was your...Mom mad...when she found out?" Stevie asked, and I rolled my eyes.

"Why does everyone keep asking me that? And yes, she was furious. She's not speaking to me, which is a good thing, if you ask me." I looked around. "So where's Malcolm? I figured he'd be the first one to get here." Stevie shrugged.

"He needs...time, I guess."

"I guess so. You need time to think about important things going on in your life."

_~Love is giving someone the power to break your heart but trusting them not to.~_


	44. Morp

_**Morp**_

"It wasn't _me_ who threw that pudding at you!" a helpless freshman cried as Reese tried to jam him into a locker.

"Well, you should've thought about that before you started looking like the guy who did!" Reese snapped as I bounced up to him.

"Hey, baby."

"Wait a second, I'm in the middle of something," he replied and finally got the kid to fit in the locker and put a lock on the door. "Don't worry, somebody will find you. They do drug searches on Fridays." He turned back to me and I gave him a kiss.

"Excuse me? You're Reese, aren't you?" a nerdy-looking, Asian girl asked, walking up to us.

"Umm...yeah," he said, frowning.

"Why?" I asked.

"What are you doing prom night?" she asked him, and he pondered it.

"That's a Saturday. I'll be throwing shopping carts into the reservoir," Reese answered and I glared at him.

"No, you're not! We're going to prom!"

"We _are?_"

The girl looked at me. "Who are you?"

"Maria. His gi-wife."

"You're _married?_" she cried, looking at him and then me and shook her head and started to back away. "Never mind."

"Wait. What were you gonna say?" Reese asked.

"My name is Jeanie. For the past four years, I've been super-focused on keeping a perfect GPA. But now that I've got my acceptance letter from Brown, I feel like I've got some time to experience high school social life. So I want you to take me to the prom," Jeanie explained.

"He can't go to the prom with you. He's going with me," I said and Reese moaned.

"I don't wanna go to the prom!"

"I'll pay you $200," Jeanie offered and Reese gasped and took it from her.

"$200? Just to go out on a date? And the career counselor said I should be a mechanic. I can't wait to throw this in his face!" he cried, excitedly.

"You can't go to prom with her!" I yelled. Was that tool seriously considering this?

"Maria, this is _$200!_ We could use this for...anything! And we're not gonna kiss or anything, I'll just take her to prom and we'll dance and stuff."

"Fine, whatever!" I snapped and stomped away.

"You're being a drama queen!" Reese called after me. I took a calculator out of my bag and whipped it back at him.

"OW!"

*LATER*

"...handing down his rules from the mountaintop. Will there be uniforms? Little flags with your picture on them?" a kid asked. Malcolm was in the backyard with about 6 or 7 other kids.

"AJ, you moron, the can drive was not a fascist conspiracy, and neither is this," a girl argued. I think her name was Carla.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're doing an anti-prom. It's called Morp," Malcolm explained.

"Yeah. Wanna come?" Carla asked, but Malcolm shook his head.

"She's going to the prom with my brother."

"As if. Reese is-never mind about him. So what's this thing about a Morp?" I asked, sitting down.

*LATER*

I walked into the Morp with Malcolm and Carla, in our jeans and t-shirts. I tried to convince myself that it didn't bother me that Reese was upstairs, at the prom with another girl.

"Wow. Quite a turnout," Carla said and Malcolm nodded.

"Yeah. We even got three home-schooled kids."

"Hey, Carla. Hey, Malcolm. Hey, Maria. Have some punch," Heather said, holding up a tray with cookies and empty cups.

"There's nothing in there," I said.

"I know. It's a statement about how completely empty the real prom experience is. The cookies are just cookies," Heather explained and then looked at Carla. "I love your wrist corsage." It looked like a giant vegetable on her wrist.

"Yeah. I found it in the crisper drawer," Carla replied.

"Good job, guys. This sucks the least of anything I've ever done in my life. I met a guy here who hates Starbucks more than I do," AJ said and took a cookie, then walked away.

"This is fantastic, Malcolm. All these people would have been home tonight feeling lonely and miserable. You should feel really proud," Carla said and I drifted away from them.

I might not be home tonight but I still felt lonely and miserable. _Stupid Reese,_ I thought, angrily and I plopped down at a table with some other social rejects. _What the hell kind of a husband is he?_

*LATER*

Malcolm and Carla passed by me a few minutes later. "Hey, where are you guys going?" I asked.

"Upstairs to make the other kids look lame. Wanna come?" Malcolm asked and I shrugged and got up.

"Sure." We made our way upstairs and walked into the gym, where everyone was dancing and having a good time. I saw Reese and Jeanie dancing and I tried to hide how hurt I was. _Wait a minute,_ I thought. _Is his hair shorter? And highlighted?_ I tore away from Malcolm and Carla and stomped up to the two.

"What the fuck?" I said and they stopped.

"Maria, what are you doing here?" Reese asked, shocked.

"Jeanie, why does he look different?" I snapped, ignoring him.

"Uhh...because I fixed him up. You know...made him better," Jeanie explained.

"Made him _better?_ Why?" I yelled.

"Because he's an illiterate thug!" she cried, and my hands curled into fists.

"No, he's _not!_ You're not good enough for him! Reese is perfect _just_ the way he is, so get out of here, bitch!" I shouted and shoved her away. I turned to Reese. "You wanna go throw shopping carts in the reservoir?"

_~I realized that no guy will ever be right for me, not after I met you.~_


	45. Graduation

_**Graduation**_

"Like all of you, I'm praying for this speech to be over soon. Most of us have been dreaming of this day for years, the day we leave childhood and achieve independence. But even if we move thousands of miles away, there's no escape. Our families are coming with us. They'll be with us forever. In our habits, our gestures, and in the choices we make. So we'll never be set-free, we'll never be alone. As Paul McCartney once said..." At that moment, my mind drifted away from Malcolm's valedictorian speech. I glanced at my mother who was sitting in the front row with her legs crossed and her arms clapsed in her lap and Graham sitting next to her, playing his GameBoy and hoping no one would notice. I was standing next to Reese, his fingers intertwined with mine so we could be called up for graduation.

"I can't believe we're at our graduation," I whispered. "We're finally fucking out of high school."

"I know. We survived," Reese agreed.

**THREE MONTHS LATER**

Reese and I were sitting on Craig's couch, while he unopened his birthday presents. "Hey...the five-settings heating pad! You listen to me, you really do!" Craig cried, and the microwave dinged.

"Someone's cake is ready!" Reese cried and got up to go get it.

Just looking around at the life that I've made for myself, it makes me feel happy inside. Knowing that Reese and I _are_ gonna make it. Knowing that Alex and all her failed attempts to break us up _were_ failed attempts. Knowing that my mom was wrong about us all along.

I eyed the long, white stick in the garbage can and snuck a smile in Reese's direction. He beamed back at me and I giggled. The plus sign stared up at us like a blessing, and we were happier than we ever had been.

_~it all started out with a KISS.~_


End file.
